I've Always Been Crazy
by ArabianNights18
Summary: Ten years after their first meeting, Legolas finds himself playing host to a diplomatic mission of eagle-riding elves from the east. It would not be so bad if the elven princess were not so infuriatingly juvenile and foolish. The more Legolas tries to ignore her, the more fun she has flirting with him for amusement. LegolasXOC
1. Chapter 1

Gandalf was worried. How could he not be? Watching the army of orcs bearing down on Minas Tirith, he felt the weight of the task at hand bearing down on him. Not only was he now leading the armies of Minas Tirith, but he worried endlessly about the little hobbits he had sent into the wilderness, their own task even more important than his own. It was almost night, though he knew that mattered little. It was dark all the time now, and the armies of Mordor would not let up once night fell.

As he looked out over the battlements, he saw a monstrous battering ram being slowly pushed towards the great gates. He raced down to the lower levels, prepared to defend them alongside the men of Gondor.

It was nightfall when the gates finally broke open. Trolls quickly poured through the ruined doors, smashing the first line of defenders and allowing the orcs that followed to pursue the armies further into the city. Gandalf was just about to attack a heavily armored troll when a huge mass of feathers barreled into the troll, sending it flying, knocking the armor off, exposing the troll to the swords of Gondor's soldiers.

Bewildered, Gandalf looked up into the sky, where a convocation of eagles was circling, diving into the fray to engage the orcs and trolls, who were just as astonished as the wizard. Looking up closely, he noticed that the eagles were not alone. People were riding the eagles.

Despite the arrival of the new allies, the men of Gondor were forced back into the higher levels of the city. Once the gates had been braced against the onslaught, Gandalf made for the citadel, Shadowfax trotting through the throngs of people. However, before he could get very far, one of the eagles landed along the battlements.

"Greetings, Mithrandir, though I suppose you shall need a new name, now that you are Gandalf the White." The figure that addressed him dismounted the eagle, dressed all in a light brown leather suit made up of a tunic, leggings, boots, and a helmet with glass goggles. As the figure removed the helmet, Gandalf saw that it was a she-elf with long auburn hair pulled back in a braid.

"Greetings, my friend. Your assistance is much appreciated, though I do not believe we have met before."

"I am Gwailin, daughter of Oiotar, King of the Kindi of the Sea of Rhun," she said, bowing elegantly as she stood on the battlements. "And this is my good friend, Pannaran," she said, indicating the eagle beside her, who remained still. Gandalf could tell they were not of the same line as the Great Eagles of the Misty Mountains, but still there was intelligence in the bird's eyes.

"Well you and your people are most welcome, Lady Gwailin. How many of you have come to our aid?"

"Unfortunately, we only number twelve. More of our company remained behind in Mirkwood to assist King Thranduil with the evil that now bears down on them."

"Your assistance is greatly appreciated, nonetheless," Gandalf replied. "Do be careful, my lady, as you fly over the city and Pelennor. The Nazgul are not far off."

"Which is why we came, to offer our assistance in the skies. I must return to my people now. We will return when the battle begins again."

With that, she gracefully swung up on the eagle, which dove off the building and flew off over the city, up into the mountains. Bemused, the wizard watched her fly off before resuming his ride to the citadel. Unexpected though this was, he was grateful to see that he had more allies to assist in the fight.

* * *

The elves and eagles proved a valuable asset to the armies of Gondor. Even though they did not have large numbers, they were quite useful in fending off the Nazgul and destroying the siege towers. As it turns out, a few of them had journeyed to Isengard and uncovered Saruman's explosive weapons in Orthanc. They used smaller versions than those used on Helms Deep on the towers.

Gwailin herself was deep in the battle, attacking trebuchets in retaliation for the Nazgul's attacks on those in Minas Tirith, and more than once got into a battle with the Nazgul and their fell beasts. She generally fought fiercely to keep them away from the city, but let them fly off over Pelennor without pursuit. Only once did Pannaran attack so fiercely that the Nazgul was thrown from his mount, and the fell beast itself was killed by the eagle.

Several of the eagles and elves were killed or severally wounded in the next few days. When one eagle was attacked viciously by the Witch King and his mount, the eagle was killed instantly as the fell beast sank its teeth into the poor bird's neck. The rider was dislodged, falling towards the army below, when he was snatched from the air by another eagle and brought to the citadel safely.

Gwailin stood on the battlements besides Pannaran, looking out over Pelennor Fields as dawn approached after several days of fighting. Beside her stood Irima, her second in command, and the elleth's mount, Calimacar.

"We cannot keep this up with the Witch King flying about," Irima said, pushing her short brown hair behind her ear. Unlike most elves, the Kindi did not care to have long hairstyles, especially the fliers. Even the women, like Irima, had hair cut above their shoulders. Irima's hair was uneven, the jagged edges making her look dangerous and aggressive. Gwailin was the exception, with her long braid, but she had bangs, which few elves did, making her stand out.

"I know. We need more riders. We've lost almost a third already. And Roime and Ettelea reported that mumakil will be here in a few hours. We will just have to push through," Gwailin finished, smiling grimly and putting her hand on her friend's shoulder. "Now go sleep while you can. We have another long day ahead of us."

"What about you? You've been awake since midnight yesterday."

"I'm fine. I cannot sleep so near Mordor anyway. My dreams are filled with dark things."

"As are mine," Irima said, mounting Calimacar. "Goodnight, your majesty."

Gwailin and Pannaran remained on the battlements for several hours, staring out over the fields, thinking strategy and thinking about those who had fallen. Three riders and four eagles were dead now. Lote had been lucky Calimacar had caught him before he fell to his death. He would mourn for his mount for at least a year before he would once again visit the eyries and be chosen by another eagle. He and Arvellas had been together for several decades.

Sighing, Gwailin looked towards the sun as it peaked over the hills. She was astonished to see that along the horizon were rows upon rows of horses lining the top of the closest hill, facing the orc hoards. As she watched, they charged the ranks, breaking through and scattering orcs everywhere. Smiling, Gwailin decided to join in the fray.

"Ready my friend?" she said, looking up at him. The eagle gave a sharp cry and spread his wings. Smiling, Gwailin swung into the saddle and together she and Pannaran entered the battle.

Lucky for Gwailin, the Nazgul were not out as she rode, Pannaran gliding over the heads of the fighters, his talons tearing through orcs, or lifting them off the battlefield and dropping them onto the heads of their comrades.

After awhile, Gwailin saw the mumakil crest the horizon.

"Ready for some sport, Pannaran?"

They shot towards the attacking animals, singling out the first one to engage. Gwailin pulled out her short bow and began shooting arrows at the men riding the beast on their first pass. On the second, Pannaran grabbed the platform on the mumak's back, ripping it to shreds. At the same time, Gwailin produced one of the last explosive shells from Isengard and threw it at the mumak, which was knocked onto its side from the blast. From there, the horsemen below were able to get their spears into it and kill it.

Just then, Gwailin saw the Witch King appear from Osgiliath. But the black rider did not make for her. It instead went after the men of Rohan. Pleased at this good fortune, Gwailin turned her attention to the next mumak.

So focused on her task, Gwailin did not notice the death of the Witch King at the hands of a lone soldier. Nor did she notice the ships arrive, until a swarm of ghostly figures began rushing across the battlefield.

"What is this witchcraft?" Gwailin murmured, looking down at the ghosts, assuming they were the enemy. At least, she thought they were, until they began taking down orcs and mumakil. She watched from several hundred feet above as the armies of Mordor began to fail.

During this strange turn of events, she noticed a figure climb up the side of a mumak and take it down singlehandedly, before sliding neatly down its trunk.

"Well, well," Gwailin said, looking at the figure one last time before flying back towards the city. "That is interesting."

* * *

After releasing the ghostly hoards, Aragorn, Legolas, and Gimli sought information from Gandalf.

"It appears we got here just in time," Aragorn said, looking around solemnly at the devastation. They had achieved victory, but at a heavy cost.

"Your aid was certainly needed," Gandalf said, looking around as well. However, he looked up and smiled.

"We had some rather unexpected assistance." As he said this, a powerful wind stirred up dust around them, making the three new arrivals look up in astonishment as the giant eagle landed near them. Gwailin dismounted, removing her helmet and only glancing at the others before turning her attention to Gandalf.

"With your permission, Gandalf, my people and I will take our dead up to the mountain and cremate them. Please let us know if you require anything further from us tonight."

"Ah yes, Lady Gwailin. May I introduce Aragorn, son of Arathorn, Gimli son of Gloin, and Legolas of the woodland realm."

"My pleasure, my lords," Gwailin said, bowing low. "I apologize for not taking the time to chat, but several of our brothers and sisters died in the past few days, and they must burned quickly as tradition dictates. Oh, and your father sends his regards, Prince Legolas," she added, before putting her helmet back on, mounting Pannaran, and flying off towards the mountain peaks.

"Who was that?" Gimli asked, staring after her. "Rarely do eagles allow riders, let alone a saddle."

"She is Gwailin, daughter of Oiotar, princess of the Kindi who reside near the Sea of Rhun," Gandalf said with a smile. "She and her kin arrived several days ago and have provided much needed assistance since."

"What?" Legolas asked, noticing Gimli smirking up at him.

"Nothing," Gimli said, looking away again, but the smirk still on his face.

* * *

Gandalf, Aragorn, Eomer, Gimli, and Legolas stood in the citadel, discussing what to do about the army of orcs that stood between Frodo and Mount Doom. Aragorn opened his mouth to voice his suggestion, but was interrupted as the doors swung open and Gwailin strode in, helmet under her arm, flanked by Irima to her left.

"I apologize for my tardiness, my lords. What can we do to help?"

"We were discussing the army of orcs still in Mordor," Aragorn said.

"Let them stay there," Gwailin said. "They will eventually kill each other off."

"We cannot do that," Gandalf said. "These orcs threaten a secret mission to destroy the Ring of Power in Mount Doom."

"Why don't you elves fly your eagles into Mordor and find Frodo. Fly him right over the orc armies," Gimli offered, blowing smoke rings.

"Bad idea," Irima said, brushing her hair out of her eyes. "We would immediately draw attention to the Ring. The Nazgul would have it before we got past the Black Gates."

"She is right," Gwailin said seriously. "We can offer air support, but we are too few to fight off the rest of the Nazgul and ensure the safety of the Ring."

"We have only one option," Aragorn said grimly. "We must march on the Black Gate."

"We cannot hope to achieve a victory," Eomer said, his brow furrowed.

"Not for ourselves, but we can ensure Sauron's eye remains fixed on us."

"A diversion," Legolas said pointedly.

"Sauron will not take the bait," Gandalf said.

"I think he will," Aragorn said. "Give me the Palantir."

* * *

The armies of Gondor and Rohan rode towards the Black Gate, the eight remaining Kindi gliding over them, watching the road ahead. They knew that when they reached Mordor, they would face the remaining six Nazgul. It would be a hard fight.

When the armies clashed, it was a fierce confrontation. The Kindi fought fiercely, managing to take down one of the Nazgul before Roime and his mount Alonnen were attacked by two Nazgul. One fell beast ripped Roime off the eagle while the other plunged its talons into Alonnen's back. The bird could not turn to attack, and despite two other eagles coming to their aid, both died in the air before plummeting to the earth.

Gwailin shot an arrow into chest of a fell beast as it flew over her. Its scales kept the arrow from killing it, but she was surprised when it and two others turned and started flying back into Mordor.

"Leave them!" Gwailin cried as some of the Kindi made to pursue them. Those that still lived focused on destroying the last two Nazgul.

It wasn't long after this that to everyone's amazement, the tower of Barad-dur crumbled to the ground. Gwailin watched in awe as the tower fell, and in shock as Mount Doom erupted violently. She was just about to land on one of the rocky outcroppings, now that the Nazgul were either dead or gone, when she heard a sharp whistle from below. She dove, landing besides the White Wizard.

"What do you need?" she asked, noticing the look in his eyes.

"I need a ride," he said, watching one of the eagles circle overhead, no rider in the saddle. Gwailin nodded and gave a series of high-pitched whistles, which brought the eagle down next to them.

"This is Amarth. Her rider, Maite, fell early. She will carry you where you need to go."

"Thank you, Lady Gwailin."

"I shall accompany you," she said, waiting for Gandalf to mount the eagle. Together, they flew off into Mordor, hoping that they would find two hobbits alive when they reached them.

* * *

_I only posted this because of my supreme enthusiasm following the release of the Desolation of Smaug trailer this morning. I know, not really a funny chapter, but the rest of the story will be (my attempt to be) funny. Or at least mildly amusing. As always, I love to hear from readers so please send reviews. Not sure when I will actually update this one, since I have a couple more stories I am currently working on (and you know, actual work to do), but maybe I'll post another chapter in a few weeks if people enjoy it. Cheers!_


	2. Chapter 2

_I had a fun weekend writing for my other story, but I figured I should actually get to the humor part of my story so you get a taste of where this is actually going. So here it is, part 2. Love to hear your reviews. Enjoy!_

* * *

Gwailin returned to Minas Tirith with Gandalf, dropping the hobbits at the infirmary to recover from their ordeal. She then flew up to the mountaintop, where what was left of her company rested.

"So few of us are still here," Gwailin said, looking around at the six elves who remained, then looking at the eagles, all of which had sustained injuries. Calimacar was badly wounded, and would probably not live through the night. That left five eagles, but two had sustained damage to their wings that would take time to heal before they could fly any distance again.

"We laid the bodies over there," Ettelea said, indicating a flat surface where the bodies of the fallen eagles and elves lay. Gwailin nodded, and as darkness fell, they burned their deceased friends.

"They all fought gallantly. Now, let us go down to the citadel and find some food and drink."

The elves climbed down from the mountaintop, entering Minas Tirith from above before seeking out the Citadel kitchen. They brought out plates of food and barrels of wine, and settled in a quiet spot in the gardens.

It was here that Legolas came upon them, hearing their laughter and songs from a long way off. He entered the clearing, a serious look on his face.

"Good evening, Prince Legolas," Gwailin said with a smile. "Would you care to join us?"

"No thank you," he said, the look in his eyes obviously showing that he thought their revelry was inappropriate.

"You think us callous for celebrating after so many lives were lost today," she said, not asking a question. "We prefer to celebrate the lives of those who died than to mourn their departure. They are gone and we cannot change that. But we can show our love by remembering the good times. Oh, do you all remember in training, when Maite tried showing off and fell off his mount into the sea? He washed up on the beach, spitting salt water and pulling crabs from his hair?"

"I do remember that!" Melhir said, laughing loudly. "He was trying to do some kind of spiral, wasn't he? Did he ever succeed?"

"I don't think so," Ettelea said with a smile. "He kept trying for a long time though."

"Well I will leave you to it then," Legolas said, turning to leave. The Kindi had forgotten he was there.

"If you change your mind, feel free to join us," Gwailin said with a grin, watching him leave.

They continued laughing and joking for some time. After they had all consumed a significant amount of wine, Ettelea turned to Gwailin.

"So Princess, what are your thoughts on our resident elven prince?"

"I think he is stuffy and serious," she said casually, laughing as Lainos tried to catch a grape in his mouth that Melhir threw at him.

"Good looking?"

"Perhaps," Gwailin said, turning to look at the other elleth, a grin on her face. "How flustered do you think he'd get if I started flirting with him?"

"He's a prince, he's probably used to it."

"You can do better," Lainos said, leaning back on his hands. "I thought you and Firverior were together."

"Nah, he's just a friend," Gwailin said, waving her hand dismissively. "I just think I could have a lot of fun tormenting Legolas."

"I dare you to kiss him," Ettelea declared. "Full on the lips."

"I will!" Gwailin said with a laugh. "Right before we leave. Leave him wanting more."

"Poor guy," Hiramar said, shaking his head.

"Are you saying that I am a bad kisser?" Gwailin said, faking offense.

"How should I know?" Hiramir said with a shrug. "But I pity any guy who has you after him."

"Hey!" Gwailin said, throwing a biscuit at him. "What are you trying to say?"

"You leave a string of broken hearts behind you, that's for sure. Your father thinks you will never settle down."

"What's wrong with that?" Gwailin said, taking a swig of wine. "Can you see me settling down?"

"I think that would be scarier than facing off against a Nazgul," Irima interjected from her spot a short way away as she leaned against a tree.

"I actually have to agree with you," Gwailin said as the other elves laughed. "It's far too fun going around breaking hearts, as you put it, Hiramir."

"It's a good thing you're a princess, or you would probably have be run out of the city long ago."

"Yeah, yeah," Gwailin said, rolling her eyes.

* * *

The Kindi stayed in Gondor for a month while the eagles and elves recovered from their injuries. They mostly kept to themselves, but were a merry bunch, helping out around the city when they were needed, lifting the spirits of the injured soldiers by play jokes on some of them, or performing small concerts in the gardens. Ettelea and Hiramir sang beautiful duets, while Melhir played the harp and Lainos played a lute. Everyone was surprised when Irima, who intimidated many of the men, produced a flute and played for them. Gwailin stayed out of it, watching and laughing, poking fun at her comrades. She could play many instruments, but chose to focus her energy on more physical activities, so had not brought an instrument with her.

Several times over that month, Gwailin ran into Legolas. She would smile and bow, make some flowery statement that was both flattering and insulting, then continue on her way. Once, when Ettelea was with her, the other elleth started giggling madly as soon as they passed, which made Legolas stare at them until they disappeared around the corner. Gwailin burst out laughing as soon as they were out of earshot. She found this game highly amusing.

Several weeks into their stay, Gwailin began feeling restless. Tracking down her companions, she found Ettelea and Hiramir wandering the halls of the Citadel.

"Good morning, Gwailin," Hiramir said smiling at the elleth.

"Good morning, my friends," Gwailin replied cheerfully. "You are not busy, are you?"

"Not at the moment, why?" Ettelea asked suspiciously.

"I don't know about you two, but I am going to go crazy if I have to spend another minute in this marble prison. You wouldn't be willing to go flying for a bit, would you?"

"Not at all," Hiramir said, watching the princess carefully. "Provided that is all you intend to do."

"Why Hiramir, whatever do you mean?" Gwailin said, feigning hurt.

"You always have an ulterior motive, Princess. You wouldn't happen to be trying to use this opportunity to show off in front of Prince Legolas, would you?"

"I am offended you would think me so shallow," Gwailin said, clutching her heart.

Hiramir just rolled his eyes as Ettelea grinned. "Why on earth would I do such a thing?"

"You want nothing more than to get the poor elf's attention so you can scar him for life."

"Scar him?" Gwailin asked, dropping her act of innocence for genuine surprise. "How am I going to scar him?"

"You are going to break his heart over a dare."

"Oh please, he is not going to get a broken heart over me. It is clear he finds me little more than an irritating pest flitting about the place. I just need to make sure our month here is not wasted and I make it a memorable one for the humorless prince."

"Very well. I will fly with you, but don't expect me to participate in any of your death-defying stunts."

* * *

Death-defying stunts were exactly what Gwailin had in mind. She grinned broadly as she stood on the battlements, hands on her hips as she looked out over the city, Osgiliath in the distance. To her left stood Ettelea, Hiramir off to her right. Gwailin had suggested an air-show of sorts primarily because she knew Prince Legolas was enjoying the afternoon sun with his dwarf friend by the White Tree.

"Are you sure you don't want a flying lesson?" she called over her shoulder, looking at the blonde elf sitting next to the tree.

"No thank you," he called back, not looking around at her. Gwailin shrugged, pulling her leather helmet over her head. Without warning, she did a swan dive off the battlements.

She wished she could see the reactions on the faces of those around the garden as she disappeared over the side of the Citadel. Instead, as she plummeted headfirst towards the city below, she saw a mass of feathers appear beneath her. Grinning, she reached out and grabbed the leather saddle, pulling herself into the seat as Pannaran opened his wings, pulling out of the dive and starting to climb into the sky once more. As they passed the battlements, Ettelea and Hiramir leapt off, landing on their mounts, flying close behind Pannaran as the eagle spiraled straight up until they reached several hundred feet, the wind buffeting the elves as they began flying in intricate patterns through the air.

"Ready Pan?" Gwailin asked as they glided over the city. With her elven eyes, the princess looked down to see who was watching. She felt immense satisfaction to see many people in the streets pointing towards the sky. There were a handful of guards that had abandoned their posts, going to the battlements to get a better view. She was most pleased to see that although he had not left his seat, Prince Legolas was watching her circle the Citadel.

With a deep breath, Gwailin hoisted knees up under her torso, hands still on the edge of the saddle. Shifting her feet, she got a grip with her boots on the leather beneath her, and extended her legs, letting go of the saddle. Knees still bent, she let out a whoop as she stood in the saddle, surfing on the eagle's back as he glided around the city. Even when he began spiraling forward, she did not lose her footing.

"Here we go!" she said to Pannaran, shouting against the wind. She extended her legs suddenly, leaping from his back, back-flipping off the saddle. Her adrenaline was pumping as she began plummeting once more towards the ground. But she had only gone a hundred feet, still far above the city, when Pannaran flew under her once more, catching her neatly in the seat.

"Have you cheated death enough yet?" Ettelea called, flying next to her, a grin on her face. Hiramir was gliding not far away, shaking his head at the antics of the princess.

"Never!" Gwailin called back, smirking at the other elleth. "Want to try some slaloms?"

"Right behind you!" Ettelea said, coming in behind Gwailin as the princess urged the giant eagle down towards the city. There were screams of fright as the two eagles dove towards the crowds, but they pulled up just before impacting with the streets, and the two began weaving back and forth between the towers. People were sent screaming out of their way as they flew inches above the streets and battlements, before climbing once more straight up past the citadel.

Pannaran headed back towards the garden, the White Tree coming into view as Gwailin thought she'd try one more trick. The plan was to try leaping off the Pannaran's back as he slowed near the tree and doing a forward roll into a standing position. Unfortunately, it didn't go so smoothly. She dismounted fine, but she had more momentum than she expected, and did a somersault into a heap instead. Concerned guards came rushing towards her, but she just took off her helmet as she lie flat on her back on the ground and began laughing loudly, still sprawled on the ground.

"That was incredibly graceful," Hiramir said, landing on the nearby battlements and climbing off, removing his helmet and shaking his head as he looked at her.

"I guess I need to practice that one some more," she said, looking up at Pannaran who had alighted on the battlements. "What do you think Pan?" The eagle just gave her a long look before shaking out his feathers, starting to preen himself.

"I know," she said, putting her head back with a sigh. "I deserved that."

"Are you alright?" Ettelea asked, coming up to her and holding out her hand, trying not to laugh, though her face was covered with a broad grin.

"Well nothing is broken, though I expect I will have some nice bruises from that one," Gwailin said, taking the elleth's outstretched hand and standing up. "What a rush."

"I think you should try that one on a softer surface next time," Ettelea said, finally letting out a soft laugh as Gwailin brushed her loose hair out of her face, flipping her braid over her shoulder.

"Those landings get me every time," Gwailin said, pulling her gloves off as she started walking back past the White Tree. "Apart from the last part, what did you think of the show?"

Legolas looked up at her as she paused next to him, a smug grin on her face.

"Honestly, I wasn't really paying attention," he said dismissively. This just made Gwailin smile wider.

"Come on, you thought it was amazing," she said, punching him on the shoulder, earning a glare from the prince. "Admit it."

"I really don't have strong feelings about it at all," he said, turning away from her. "I think perhaps you enjoy near-death experiences a little too much, but that is not my concern."

"I saw you slide down that oliphaunt trunk during the Battle of Pelennor Fields. Don't tell me you don't like some thrills in your life."

"That was a matter of necessity," Legolas said, looking back at her with a frown, though she noticed the dwarf shake his head and roll his eyes. "Not for thrills."

"If you say so," she said, winking at him before strutting away towards the door into the Citadel.

* * *

When the Kindi made to leave, Gandalf tried to persuade them to stay, at least until Aragorn's coronation.

"My apologies, but we must return to Mirkwood and regroup with our companions who remained there. It has been a pleasure, and we are glad we could be of use. May you have a long and prosperous reign, Lord Aragorn."

"We are grateful for your aid," Aragorn replied, bowing his head in acknowledgement. "You are most welcome if you come this way again."

"Thank you," Gwailin said, bowing low. As she stood, she noticed Ettelea grinning at her from the battlements. Ettelea jerked her head subtly to the side. Gwailin looked around and noticed Legolas standing off to the side. Grinning, she walked over to him, bowing low again.

"I will let your father know you are safe, Prince Legolas. I do hope to see you again, but if not…" She took that opportunity to grab the front of his tunic and pull him down to her, as she planted a kiss on his lips. Letting go and backing up, she bowed elegantly again before running towards the battlements and hopping up onto Pannaran, flying out over Pelennor, followed closely by her companions.

Legolas stood there blinking for a moment, not quite sure what had just happened. His expression made Gimli break out in hearty laughter.

* * *

Legolas returned to his father's halls many months later, after traveling with Gimli for a while around Gondor and Rohan. He was about to bring up his idea for bring elves to the Ithilien when his father cut him off.

"So, what did you think of Princess Gwailin?" Thranduil asked, watching his son carefully over his wine goblet. Legolas had been home for a less than a week, and they had just sat down for their first dinner together.

"Excuse me?" Legolas asked, taken aback. He had not been expecting such a question from his father.

"I was wondering what your impression was of Princess Gwailin while you were in Gondor."

"Well," Legolas said slowly, trying to find the words that would be best to describe the princess in a diplomatic manner. "She was a very capable warrior," was all he could come up with.

"That is it? Be honest with me, Legolas."

"Well then, I think she is a little too reckless, bold, and rather foolish," Legolas said with a scowl. "I don't understand what concern she is of mine."

"She is a cheerful individual," the king said thoughtfully. "But I wouldn't call her foolish. Reckless, yes. She seemed very fond of dangerous activities. She wanted to try cliff jumping at Erebor. She seemed fascinated with it after they flew over. What influences you to call her bold?"

"She lacks the propriety associated with her station, and lacks respect for others' station as well," Legolas said, looking down at his plate.

"What did she do to illicit such a strong feeling from you?" Thranduil asked, rather amused by his son's characterization. He could tell Legolas did not really want to talk about it.

"She thought it was amusing to kiss me before she left Minas Tirith," Legolas said, frowning, his annoyance evident. The king actually laughed at this.

"Only you would be offended by a kiss," he said, watching his son's scowl deepen.

"Surely it was not that bad."

"No," Legolas admitted, thinking back. "But it was inappropriate."

"So there is no chance there is a wedding in your future?" Thranduil asked, amused at the angry look on his son's face. "She really is a lovely individual."

"There is no chance whatsoever that I will consent to marry Princess Gwailin," Legolas said with the air of finality. Thranduil didn't press the issue, but his smile didn't fade.


	3. Chapter 3

_I have had a lot of fun working on this story the last couple days. I hope you enjoy chapter 3. Enjoy!_

* * *

It was almost a decade later when Legolas and Gwailin's paths again crossed. Legolas had set up a colony of elves in the Ithilien, and they had made significant changes in the forest since the war had devastated much of the landscape. Legolas was just making his way down the staircase of his home in one of the trees when he heard the sound of flapping wings and felt a strong gust of air on his face. Looking up, he saw an eagle descending into the glade around which the village had been established.

Hurrying down the rest of the staircase, he made his way towards the eagle as other elves came closer, curious at the new arrival.

"Good day, my lord." Legolas approached as Melhir dismounted and removed his helmet, shaking out his short hair. "How have you been?"

"Quite well," Legolas said, recognizing the newcomer, though they had not spoken before. "And you, Melhir?"

"Cannot complain, though I'm sure you will," he said with a smile. "I am here to announce that Princess Gwailin will be arriving within the hour."

"What business does the princess have here?" Legolas asked, not at all pleased to hear the news.

"At the request of her father, she has been made an ambassador for our people. We have decided not to remain isolated in the Rhun. We have already made journeys to your father's realm, Edoras, and Minas Tirith. With your majesty's permission, we would like to request to stay here for a short time."

"How short?" Legolas asked, dreading the answer.

"About a month," Melhir said with a smile, knowing full well Legolas was not happy to hear this. "The Princess will be most disappointed if you refuse."

"I have no doubts about that," Legolas said, contemplating ways he could get out of this new hell. "We have a spare house where she can stay while she is here. How many should we expect to be staying?"

"Her highness, myself, and Ettelea is all. We should be able to accommodate ourselves well enough."

"Where will your eagle stay?" Legolas asked, looking up at the bird behind Melhir.

"They will roost in the mountains. All we seek to do is learn about different cultures so we can begin spreading out away from the mountains. Our lifestyle is dying," Melhir said seriously. "There are few of us who still ride eagles. The eagles themselves have come in contact with those in the Misty Mountains, which has altered their point of view.

Many believe that they have become subservient to us and have begun to refuse our companionship. We may have to give up the mountain altogether. Only the eagles who serve the royal family remain truly loyal. There are some others who cooperate with us, but their numbers dwindle."

"I am sorry to hear that," Legolas said, genuinely sorry. The cooperation between the elves and the eagles was a unique and valuable relationship. "You are welcome to join in the work here if you wish. We are always happy for an extra pair of hands. Right now we are preparing for a midsummer festival, however, and there is not much work to do outside of party preparations."

"Gwailin will be thrilled," Melhir said, dropping the formalities. "She does love a party."

"I am sure," Legolas said, sighing at the thought of entertaining her royal highness for a month. "Please, come in and rest. I am sure you will be busy once Princess Gwailin arrives."

"Thank you," Melhir said, following Legolas up to the latter's residence. "Of that I am sure."

* * *

Legolas took a deep breath as he watched two eagles descending into the glade. An hour had not been long enough to prepare for Gwailin's arrival. Her home for the next month had not taken much preparation, but he was not ready mentally for the onslaught he knew was coming.

He tried to smile as he watched Gwailin dismount Pannaran gracefully, dressed regally, not in her flying leathers. She wore a split skirt of a midnight blue, with scarlet trim and a golden bodice. Her long hair was no longer braided, but fell loose at her shoulders as she removed an elaborate golden helmet. Ettelea, in contrast, was dressed exactly the same as she had been last time Legolas had seen her, just with slightly longer hair.

"Legolas!" Gwailin said, striding confidently towards him. Before he could say anything, she kissed him full on the mouth again. "So good to see you again. Surprised to see me?"

"Quite," Legolas said, resisting the urge to tell her off for her forwardness. He took a deep breath before continuing. "Would you please stop kissing me? We hardly know each other."

"Come now, is it really that revolting to have me kiss you? Or do you have a lady friend that I should be worried about?" she asked, looking around as if some lady was going to come forward and attack her.

"No, but I would appreciate you to practice some form of propriety while you are here. I was informed you were an ambassador, and I had hoped you would show more respect with that title."

"You wish," Gwailin said with a mischievous grin. "I believe your father enjoyed my antics. Why are you not more like him?"

"He hasn't had the same experience with you as I have," Legolas said, eager to drop her off at her house and disappear. "Shall I take you to the house you will be using while you are here?"

"That would be delightful," she said, taking his arm without having it offered to her. "Is there room for Ettelea and Melhir?"

"You and Ettelea should be comfortable there. Melhir is already settled in another house that had a spare room."

"Wonderful," Gwailin said, striding confidently next to him as they made their way through the woods towards her temporary residence. Legolas felt the wind behind him, indicating that Pannaran had taken off to seek a roost elsewhere. He now had to put up with Gwailin for a month. If he could keep from killing her that long.

* * *

"He is on the verge of murdering you already!" Ettelea said gleefully as she and Gwailin unpacked.

"Even so, I haven't rattled him enough to get him to drop the diplomatic talk. I guess I'll have to work harder."

"I'm surprised he didn't say anything about how we should have learned all we needed about this culture from Eryn Lasgallen."

"And hopefully he won't, because I don't have a backup plan right now. I suppose I should think of another excuse just in case."

"Or distract him enough that he doesn't come to that conclusion. Though I am sure he is trying to think of every possible way to get rid of you."

"He won't succeed without a great deal of effort on his part," Gwailin said, putting away her last gown. "I intend to insert myself into every aspect of his life that I possibly can."

"This is rather cruel," Ettelea said, though she smiled as she said it. "I do kind of feel bad for him."

"He brought it on himself by being such a stick in the mud," Gwailin said, sitting on the bed. "It is for his own good."

"I doubt he'll see it that way," Ettelea laughed. "Now, what are you going to wear to dinner? Something vibrant, I suppose?"

"I can't let anyone fail to notice me, even if the eagles didn't do the trick," Gwailin replied, watching Ettelea search for something suitable for her to wear. "What about that bright blue one?"

"You won't stand out in blue. How about this golden one?"

"I forgot I packed that one. Should I save it for this midsummer festival they keep talking about?"

"No, you have plenty of others to choose from. Wear the gold one now."

* * *

Poor Legolas would have been horrified to know that it had in fact been his father who gave Gwailin the idea to visit. While she had been visiting his realm, the king had brought up his son's work in the Ithilien while dining with Gwailin and her entourage one evening not long before their departure.

"Legolas has done some fine work in the Ithilien, restoring it after the devastation of the war. Though I am sorry he is not here to see you for your visit."

"That is quite alright, my lord," Gwailin said with a smile. "I am sure he will not be very put out upon hearing that he missed me."

"You seem to have struck a nerve with him, I will not argue that," Thranduil said, returning the smile. "Sometimes I feel like Legolas is the responsible one while I am the one who is always hosting parties."

"There is nothing wrong with a good party," Gwailin replied. "The prince just needs to have some fun once in a while."

"Perhaps you could stop by and visit while you are in Gondor," Thranduil said thoughtfully. "Give him my regards and get him to unwind a little."

"Hmm, I shall have to make time to do just that."

* * *

Legolas was getting ready to go to dinner, thinking about how easy it would be to take a horse and ride off to Minas Tirith and hide for awhile. It was a large city, he could probably hide from Gwailin for some time. At least long enough for her to lose interest and go home. He had a nagging feeling that she was going out of her way to rile him up.

Sighing, he walked towards the dining hall where he was to meet his guests. He had the look of someone that was walking to the gallows. To his relief, Gwailin was not there yet. If he ate quickly, he mused, perhaps he could escape with minimal interaction.

His friend and advisor Haloneth watched him in amazement as he wolfed down food at an alarming rate.

"Are you even chewing any of that?" Haloneth asked, watching Legolas. Legolas looked up from his plate.

"At least I'm eating. I seriously considered fleeing for my life."

"Wow, I have never seen you like this. Is the Princess really that bad?"

"You have no idea," Legolas mumbled, returning to his food.

Legolas had almost finished when Gwailin sauntered in, dressed in a shimmering gold gown with a train, a crown of golden feathers on her head. She had golden ribbons in her dark hair that fell down to her waist. Melhir and Ettelea flanked her on either side, dressed in dark blue and gold robes. All eyes followed the princess as she approached Legolas and Haloneth.

"Good evening, my lords," she said, taking the seat Melhir pulled out for her at the head of the table. "I do apologize for being late."

"It is quite alright, Princess." Haloneth said, since Legolas was speechless, staring at Gwailin. "I'm sure it took some time to get settled. Do you want attendants while you are here?"

"No, thank you. Ettelea will be all the assistance I need," she said, gesturing at the elleth as she sat to Gwailin's right while Melhir sat to her left. "I do not believe we have been introduced."

"I am Haloneth, my lady," he said, bowing his head respectfully. "It is an honor to meet you."

"The pleasure is mine, Lord Haloneth. Is there something wrong with our host tonight?" she asked, smiling at Legolas. This seemed to snap him out of his trance. He blinked and coughed.

"Not at all, my lady. I trust you find your quarter's comfortable?"

"Quite. I have never lived in a tree before. I am quite fascinated by the concept. How do you build so that you allow the tree to still grow?"

Legolas listened to Gwailin talk, her mannerisms taking him completely off guard. She actually acted the part of a princess and diplomat, asking questions that related to her purpose in staying. He couldn't tell if she was serious or if she was just messing with him. He thought the latter was more likely, but she never faltered in her perfect presentation of royalty. She was having a very civil and intelligent conversation with Haloneth.

"May I walk you back to your house, my lady?" Haloneth asked after they finished their meal.

"I would be honored, Lord Haloneth." She stood and took his arm, before she turned to Legolas, who had said very little the entire evening. "Goodnight, Prince Legolas. I shall send Melhir to you in the morning to discuss my itinerary." Legolas just nodded and watched her glide gracefully out the door with his advisor.

* * *

"I don't know why you have such a problem with her," Haloneth said when he met up with Legolas later that evening. "She is quite a delight. Witty sense of humor and a very pleasant conversationalist."

"I didn't think she knew how to demonstrate propriety from my previous encounters with her," Legolas said, looking through papers on his desk. "I was quite shocked by her performance."

"It was apparent," Haloneth said with a smile. "Though it was hard to tell if you were shocked by her mannerisms or her beauty. She certainly shines, doesn't she?"

"I think that was the point," Legolas said, still not looking up. "It's part of her plan, I'm sure of it."

"What exactly do you think she's planning?"

"I haven't a clue, but I know I won't like it."

"You're rather cynical," Haloneth said. "What exactly did she do to you to make you so moody?"

"Suffice to say, boundaries mean very little to her."

"What does that mean?"

"It means during all my other encounters with her, she has not acted at all like a diplomat as she did tonight. She is a rather rash and foolish individual if you ask me."

"That seems a little hypocritical, coming from you. I seem to remember a young elf prince that enjoyed nothing more than riding out alone to hunt orcs and scare his father half to death."

"That was a very long time ago. Princess Gwailin is too old to act so childish."

"Sometimes I think you could afford to act a little more childish," Haloneth said grinning. "Either way, I like her. I look forward to the rest of her visit."

* * *

"Lord Haloneth is quite nice, isn't he?"

"Oh yes. I found him quite charming," Gwailin said, removing the ornaments from her hair. "Quite nice to look at, too."

"I thought you were after the Prince?" Ettelea said with a laugh. "Don't take on more than you can handle."

"I can deal with both," Gwailin said with a grin. "The proper lady in front of Haloneth, the childish flirt in front of Legolas."

"I bet you won't last a week as the proper lady. Besides, I thought you wanted to go swimming sometime in the next few days."

"Drat, I forgot about that," Gwailin said, frowning. "Oh well. I do want to go swimming. I wonder if I can keep Haloneth from knowing about it when we go."

"You won't win this game if you try and keep the façade going only in front of him."

"I suppose you're right. Prince Legolas is the priority, so swimming it is. I will send Melhir to see him tomorrow and have him push the issue of swimming. I'll have him ask if the Prince wants to join us."

"Scandalous," Ettelea said with a laugh. "I think you may make his royal highness's heart stop to see you so scantily clad."

"Oh, I would pay a lot of money to see the look on his face at that."

* * *

"Good morning, Prince Legolas."

"Good morning, Melhir. I assume you are here to discuss her highness's schedule?"

"I am. And may I apologize now for her majesty. She has made some requests."

"I am afraid to ask."

"Her first request is that she have an afternoon this week to go to the river and swim."

"Pardon?" Legolas said, looking up at Melhir.

"Princess Gwailin would like a free afternoon to enjoy the nearby river. She has requested that you come with her." Melhir looked at him apologetically.

"Why does she want to go swimming?"

"Her highness is very fond of water, and she goes swimming frequently in the Sea. It has been quite a long time since she went for a swim since we have been on our diplomatic mission."

"Well if she wants to go swimming then I cannot stop her," Legolas said, more convinced than ever that the Gwailin from the previous night was a clever act. "I, however, will be busy and unable to go with her."

"She will be disappointed," Melhir said, though he smiled, taking pity on Legolas.

"What is her next request?"

"She requests that your cooks prepare some of our foods for the midsummer festival."

"I think we can accommodate her," Legolas said, thinking this was a rather reasonable request.

"It would require the preparation of water snakes and seaweed." Legolas stared at Melhir. He couldn't be serious.

"Where does her highness expect us to get water snakes and seaweed?"

"Of that I am unsure, your majesty. If you wish, I will talk to her about the issue further and get back to you."

"Please do," Legolas said, his irritation growing again. "Any other requests?" Melhir cleared his throat nervously before he continued.

"Princess Gwailin requests that you escort her to the Midsummer Festival."

"I suppose there is no way I can get out of that one," Legolas said with a sigh. Of all her requests, this was the most painful, and the one he felt he had to accommodate. "Very well, if it is her highness's wish, I shall escort her to the festival. Perhaps she will find all she needs before then and will depart."

"Frankly, I think she will drive you away before you get her to leave," Melhir said honestly. "She will not be able to maintain the diplomatic personality of last night for long."

"I figured as much," Legolas said, glad that at least Melhir was a reasonable individual. He at least had a sensible head on his shoulders. "Now, about the rest of the schedule…"

* * *

"This afternoon you will talk with the architect, and tomorrow you will visit the fields and speak to the planters."

"Excellent. Thank you Melhir. How did my requests go over?"

"You will have the afternoon free on Friday to go swimming, and Prince Legolas has declined your invitation."

"Pity, though I'm not surprised," Gwailin said with a smile. "How about the other two?"

"I was supposed to ask you how you expected him to acquire water snakes and seaweed."

"Certainly the coast isn't that far away. Couldn't someone be sent to fetch seaweed at least?"

"I do not know, but I shall ask."

"And my last request?"

"Prince Legolas agreed to escort you to the festival, though he looked less than pleased about it," Melhir said, shaking his head at the grin that spread across Gwailin's face.

"Of course he was. How wonderful. I look forward to it immensely."

"Don't you think this is rather cruel?" Melhir asked, watching the Princess as she prepared to go to lunch. "The poor fellow has enough on his plate without you badgering him."

"Think of it as an intervention, Melhir," Gwailin said, turning to her friend. "I'm doing him a favor. Life isn't worth living without a little fun."

"I think Prince Legolas has seen enough death and destruction that it is hard to have fun."

"We all have, Melhir, but we can't change the past. Life is a gift from the Valar and we need to make the most of it."

"Alright, but I think you are going to do more harm than good."

"Such a pessimist, Melhir. Give me a chance. I have only just begun."


	4. Chapter 4

_Enjoy!_

* * *

Gwailin chose to dress more practically for lunch than she had the previous evening. When she walked into the dining hall she was wearing a simple crimson gown and her golden crown of feathers. She quickly spotted Lord Haloneth and another elf she did not know, and made her way over to them.

"Good day, my lady," Lord Haloneth said, standing up and helping her to sit beside him. "May I introduce Coronlir, our chief architect."

"It is a pleasure, Princess," the architect said, bowing low before sitting down again. "I understand that I am going to be entertaining you for the afternoon."

"Indeed," Gwailin said, smiling at him pleasantly. "I am fascinated by your building techniques. Our homes are carved out of the mountains and hang like stalactites from the cliff faces."

"Well at some point I would like to hear more about your homes then. That sounds quite intriguing."

"It keeps us close to the eagles but out of their eyries. If you would like, I can have Ettelea draw you some examples. She is quite talented at drawing."

"I would like that very much, your majesty."

* * *

"I still don't see what your problem is," Haloneth said to Legolas as they were working later that afternoon. "She is getting along fabulously with Coronlir. He may want to take some ideas from their architecture next."

"Well in my talk with Melhir this morning, he informed me that her majesty wants to go swimming on Friday, wants water snakes and seaweed served at the Midsummer Festival, and requests that I escort her to said festival."

"Water snakes?" Haloneth said in surprise. "They eat snakes?"

"Apparently," Legolas said grumpily. "Melhir informed me just a short while ago that the princess wants us to send someone to the coast to acquire these things."

"Well I suppose it never hurts to try," Haloneth said with a grin. "Might be interesting."

"I will send someone, but I don't have high hopes. Perhaps it is for the best. Anyway, will you be willing to show the princess to the fields tomorrow?"

"Certainly. I honestly cannot understand why you are so eager to avoid her."

"I wish to get through her visit with my sanity intact. Just wait. You will see what I mean soon enough."

* * *

Gwailin was able to maintain her sophisticated mannerisms for the next few days, with only a few slip ups. She had a hard time not going barefoot while walking through the fields, and when she came across a group of elflings playing a ball game, she couldn't resist kicking it back to them as she walked by. Lord Haloneth noticed, but he just smiled and kept talking about how they had re-grown the forest after the war.

Legolas had managed to avoid his unwanted guest for most of those days. He had shared only a few meals with her, and had successfully found something to do every time she ran into him out and about.

He was on his way to talk to Coronlir about plans for a new library when he heard his name. Looking around, he saw Gwailin, Ettelea, and Melhir in the village center, their eagles next to them.

"Prince Legolas! Last chance to join us for a swim!" Gwailin said with a smile. He noticed she was wearing a very thin tunic that hung off her loosely. Her hair was braided once more, and she had lost all appearances of being royalty.

"No thank you," he replied as she approached him. "I am busy. Do enjoy your afternoon."

"Oh, we most certainly will," she said, flashing him a dazzling smile before prancing back to Pannaran and mounting, the three eagles taking flight and heading towards the river. Grateful he had escaped, Legolas continued on his mission.

* * *

"I have missed this," Gwailin said with a sigh, sitting half submerged on the riverbank.

"Me too," Ettelea said, watching as Melhir dove off of a tree branch into the Anduin. "I miss the Sea."

"It is nice not to be swimming in saltwater though," Melhir said as he breached the surface, brushing his short hair out of his eyes.

It would have caused quite a commotion if the elves of the Ithilien had seen their guests at that moment. Melhir wore only a pair of leggings, having both bare feet and a bare chest. Gwailin and Ettelea both wore leggings that ended at their calves. Ettelea wore a halter top while Gwailin wore a simple band around her chest, exposing her midriff. This was normal for the Kindi, who spent a great deal of time in the water, but would have shocked their woodland kin.

"Alright," Gwailin said, standing up. "I need to jump off of something. How deep is the water right there, Melhir?"

"Deep enough for whatever you want to do," Melhir said with a grin, treading water out in the wide, slow part of the river. "No need to show off too much with no audience."

"Somehow I'll get his royal stuffiness out here," Gwailin said as she pulled herself up into the tree Melhir had just jumped from. "I'll think of something."

"Aside from kidnapping him, I can't think of anything," Ettelea said with a laugh. "He has been doing a very good job of ignoring you since we arrived."

"Perhaps, but he will soon learn I can't be put off that easily." As she finished her sentence, Gwailin jumped from the branch, doing a double summersault before diving into the water. She broke the surface with a content sigh, flipping her braid over her shoulder. "I really should have gone cliff jumping at Erebor while we were in Mirkwood. This is fun, but not enough of a thrill."

"It's not exactly on the way back."

"No, but we could take a detour to the Falls of Rauros."

"I will not be the one to tell your father that you died jumping off a waterfall," Melhir said, climbing up the bank. "Count me out."

"How about you Ettelea?"

"I don't think so," the elleth said with a laugh. "I like all my bones in one piece."

"You guys suck all the fun out of my life," Gwailin said, splashing water at the both of them.

* * *

"Do you think we should send someone to fetch the Princess? It is getting late."

"No, she'll arrive when she feels like it," Legolas said, putting away his books so he could go to dinner. "With luck, the Anduin washed her away."

"I think you are taking her visit a little too personal," Haloneth said with a laugh as they started towards the dining hall. "I admit, I am starting to see her less diplomatic side, but it is nothing nearly egregious enough to cause your reaction to her."

Just then, the flapping of wings could be heard over the trees. Looking up, three eagles landed nearby, their riders sliding off.

"Convinced yet?" Legolas muttered as he and Haloneth watched the Kindi elves walk towards them.

"Good evening, my lords," Gwailin said brightly as she approached them. "We did not miss dinner did we?"

"Not at all," Haloneth said. "We were just headed that way. You have plenty of time to change and-"

"Nonsense! There's no sense going through all the effort of changing just for one meal."

"Are you sure?" Haloneth asked, trying not to look down at her. Gwailin was wearing her tunic again, but it was damp and clung to her body in places. She also had chosen not to put her shoes back on, and stood barefoot in front of them. She looked nothing like the princess that the elf had met only a few days ago.

"Absolutely. Come," she said, taking his arm. "I am quite hungry."

Legolas just shook his head and followed his friend towards the dining hall, watching the other elf look down at the princess rather uncomfortably. He had warned Haloneth that the princess could not maintain her façade for long.

The prince was surprised, however, when Lord Haloneth sat down across from the princess with a smile, his uncomfortable look gone.

"How was your swim, my lady? You seem quite happy so I'd imagine it was satisfactory."

"I enjoyed it, though it is very different than we are used to. We usually swim in saltwater, and have high cliffs to jump off of. Your trees are tall, but not nearly high enough."

"I wish I could help," Haloneth said with a laugh. "But I think you are on your own for that."

"What do you think, Prince Legolas?" she asked, turning to him. "Any ideas for where I can go cliff jumping?"

"Not that I am aware of," Legolas said, not looking up at her. "Did you ever get the chance to go at Erebor?"

"No, unfortunately," she said with a sigh. "Did your father tell you that?"

"Yes he did."

"He seemed to find the idea amusing. I do like your father, he was a wonderful host."

Gwailin managed to get Legolas to have a full conversation with her, though he had a disinterested tone through the entire thing. Feeling especially ambitious, she decided to push her luck a little further.

"I do wish you both had gone swimming with us today, my lords," Gwailin said with a smile as she finished her meal. "Next time, I must insist you join us."

"We will see," Legolas said, still not looking at her. "I am quite busy, as you know."

"You can't avoid me forever," she said with a mischievous smirk. "I intend to get you to have fun if it kills you." She stood up to leave, Melhir and Ettelea standing as well. "Goodnight, my lords." She smiled at Haloneth before she bent over and kiss Legolas's cheek before disappearing out the door.

"Do you see what I mean about boundaries?" Legolas said angrily as soon as she was gone. Haloneth just laughed loudly.

"That is what you're angry about? By the Valar, I dare say I agree with the Princess. You are far too serious for your own good."

* * *

From that point on, Gwailin gave up acting proper. She walked around in her riding gear, laughing and chatting with anyone who happened to pass by. Most of the elves were wary of her at first, but her good mood was infectious, and after a week of this, they would cheerfully greet her and answer any questions she asked. Despite only using her interest in their culture as a cover for staying, she took a great interest in what the wood elves did in their daily lives. She would gleefully help out with everything from baking to building, from gardening to babysitting. The latter was her favorite, as she loved telling wild stories to the children.

One afternoon found her standing in a clearing, Pannaran at her shoulder as she addressed a crowd of elflings. They were all very curious about the strange princess and her eagle.

"You see, we have a special relationship with eagles. Long ago, one of my ancestors saved a fledgling eagle that had been blown far from home. The eagle was so grateful, she let him ride her. And when she had her own fledglings, they bonded with other elves, creating the relationship we have now."

"I heard the eagles don't like you anymore, so that's why you're here," an older boy said, his arms crossed as he watched Gwailin skeptically.

"There are fewer and fewer eagles that maintain their friendship with the Kindi," Gwailin relented. "But we still have the loyalty of many, including Pannaran and his kin."

"Can I touch him?" one little elleth asked, looking up at the giant bird in awe. Gwailin grinned at her, and bent over to look at the girl in the eye.

"That depends. Are you a good elfling? Are you brave and fearless?"

"Yes," the little one said hesitantly. "I think so."

"I hope so, because Pannaran is deadly. He killed a fell beast during the War of the Ring."

"Big deal, he's enormous. Prince Legolas killed one too," said the same boy who had called her out earlier.

"Well Prince Legolas has a special bow. Pan killed the fell beast with his sharp beak and talons," Gwailin said, pointing them out as she spoke. "What do you think, Pan? Do you think she is worthy?"

The great eagle turned his head, his golden eyes meeting Gwailin's sea green ones. Gwailin grinned, bending down and picking up the tiny elleth.

"Be gentle. He won't appreciate it if you pull out his feathers." Terrified, the little girl stared with wide eyes at the eagle that was watching her intently. Slowly, she stuck out her hand towards his neck. As soon as her fingers touched his feathers, she withdrew her hand, a big smile on her face.

"I did it!" she said happily as Gwailin put her down.

"Yes you did," Gwailin said with a laugh. "But he isn't a dog, so don't get used to petting him."

"Can you fly for us?" asked a young elf eagerly. There were several cries of agreement from the assembled elflings.

"She can't fly here, there are too many trees," said the same older elf. Gwailin scowled at him.

"Well aren't you a bright ray of sunshine? Yes, the trees are tight here, but I would be happy to fly for you."

"I'm sorry, my lady, but the young one's have to be getting home for dinner," said a smiling elleth, looking down as a chorus of groans arose from the young ones.

"Alright, I'll have to fly for you all some other time. Maybe we can go out to the fields so you can see better."

The troop of elflings started away, but the young girl who had touched Pannaran tugged on the Gwailin's tunic. Gwailin looked down, smiling as she squatted to look the girl in the eye.

"Princess Gwailin, are you going to marry Prince Legolas?" Gwailin was startled at that question, but out of the corner of her eye she'd seen Legolas watching her, and so she grinned, feeling very pleased with herself.

"What else are princesses suppose to do but marry princes?" Gwailin asked quietly, earning a broad smile from the little girl before she hurried away after the group. Gwailin glanced up at Prince Legolas, giving him a grin and saluting before hopping on Pannaran and flying off towards the mountains.

* * *

Legolas stood on the balcony of his house, looking out at the trees, enjoying the late spring sunshine.

"She is certainly something, isn't she?"

Legolas looked around at Haloneth, not sure what he meant. His advisor just nodded, looking down. Legolas followed his gaze and saw Princess Gwailin talking to the elflings. As he watched, he saw her pick up one of the little elleths and hold her out towards her eagle.

"What is she doing?" he asked in alarm, but his worry was needless, as the little girl touched Pannaran and then pulled her hand back, giggling excitedly.

"She has certainly found her way into their hearts," Haloneth mused aloud. Legolas nodded absentmindedly as he watched the hoard of elflings parade away. He couldn't help but smile as he watched the excited little elleth whisper something to Gwailin before grinning and running away after the others. His smile disappeared as Gwailin stood up and looked directly at him with a smirk as she saluted and flew off.

"Was that a smile?" Haloneth asked, watching the Prince as his eyes followed Gwailin and Pannaran until they were out of sight.

"What?" Legolas asked, turning to his advisor. Haloneth was just watching him, a grin on his own face.

"I saw that."

"Saw what?"

"She's growing on you, isn't she?"

"What are you talking about?"

"You are growing fond of our royal guest, aren't you?"

"Not likely," Legolas said haughtily, turning and entering his study, Haloneth following.

"Everyone else has found her jovial nature infectious. I know you aren't immune to it. You've been less moody lately."

"Well I don't have to be worried about what she has planned now. She's not trying to hide her foolishness anymore."

"Foolishness? I see an elf that loves life and is trying to spread her happiness to others. You just don't want to like her."

"I'm trying really hard not to," Legolas muttered.

"Why?"

"Because then she wins," Legolas said, his face in a determined scowl.

"Wow," Haloneth said, unable to think of the right words to express his disapproval of this reasoning.


	5. Chapter 5

_One of my favorite chapters! Let's see if you can pick out my not-so-subtle movie reference in it. :) As always, would love to see your reviews. Enjoy!_

* * *

Legolas found himself woken one morning to a rapid pounding on his door. Climbing out of bed quickly, he answered the door, thinking it was an emergency of some sort. A dark scowl appeared on his face when he found himself looking into the smiling face of Gwailin, standing joyfully in his doorway, her hands clasped behind her back.

"Good morning, my lord!" she said cheerily, her eyes sparkling mischievously as she looked up at him.

"Can I help you, my lady?" he asked stonily, desperately hoping she wasn't there to kidnap him for some outrageous stunt or childish game.

"I was just enjoying the morning sun and I realized that I have not had the privilege of your company for more than just meals. If you are not previously engaged, I would be delighted if you were to join me on a day trip to Minas Tirith. I took the liberty of informing Queen Arwen that I would be visiting today to pick an outfit for the Midsummer Festival, and since you so graciously agreed to escort me, I thought perhaps you might want to provide your input to ensure that we match."

Desperately, Legolas tried to come up with a pressing matter that he could use as an excuse not to go. When that failed, he tried to invent one. However, his imagination deserted him, and he ended up just staring at Gwailin for several long moments.

"I take it by your silence that you have nothing else planned for today?" Gwailin said happily, showing even more of her brilliant white teeth as her smile grew.

"I have a number of things that need to be done today," Legolas said quickly, though he had yet to come up with something specific. "I am afraid I must decline your invitation." Despite this, Gwailin's smile didn't fade as she looked up at him without replying for a few seconds. It made him nervous.

"Are you absolutely certain of that? Because I spoke to Haloneth yesterday evening and he said you were only doing bookkeeping and other tedious paperwork today, and informed me that none of it was particularly pressing."

Trapped, and feeling betrayed by Haloneth, Legolas sighed. Perhaps once they got to Minas Tirith, Aragorn could hide him somewhere far away from the princess.

"Very well, I will go with you. If you will give me a few minutes, I will dress and meet you outside. Just to be clear," he added as Gwailin turned to go, obviously immensely pleased with herself. "I will not be riding an eagle to get there."

"Not a problem," Gwailin replied, whirling back around, her braid sweeping around her head in a wide arc. "I expected as much and have horses waiting."

* * *

Legolas rode heavily in the saddle, cursing his bad luck as he trotted towards Minas Tirith. He ignored the blur that rode by him, jumping a fallen tree just off the path ahead.

"It is a good thing I woke you when I did," Gwailin said, turning her chestnut mare so she could look at him. "At the speed you're going, it will be noon before we get there."

"We are not that far away," Legolas replied tartly, though Gwailin had already started galloping further down the path. He wished she would just gallop all the way there and leave him be. She could be finished shopping by the time he arrived and he wouldn't have to deal with her most of the day. But she only ever got about a hundred meters ahead of him before waiting for him to catch up.

It was with great relief that they finally entered the White City. At least until their progress was impeded by a large crowd of people surrounding Gwailin.

"Gwailin!"

"You are back!"

"Why are you on a horse?"

He watched as Gwailin dismounted her mare, greeting the excited crowd enthusiastically. She had apparently made quite an impact on her last visit, as it looked like half the city greeted her as they made their way incredibly slowly up to the Citadel. Gwailin did her best to talk to everyone who came up to her, laughing at jokes or promising to visit someone's shop.

"I should have known that would take longer without the eagle," Gwailin said with a laugh as they left the crowd behind and entered the Citadel. Legolas dismounted as the two of them made for the inner halls, intent on finding the King and Queen.

"You are certainly popular," he said flatly.

"That's what happens when you are friendly and smile," she teased, punching him in the shoulder. He just looked at her with a raised eyebrow as they continued through the winding halls. Eventually they found Arwen, who was sitting in a courtyard, enjoying the summer sun as she read.

"Gwailin! Legolas! What are you two doing here?" she said happily, rising to meet them. She hugged Gwailin as Legolas scowled down at the elleth.

"I thought you said she was expecting us?" he said testily. Gwailin just grinned up at him, shrugging nonchalantly.

"I wasn't going to give you a chance to weasel out of coming," Gwailin said dismissively. "But since you are here, you can help me with my shopping."

"What are you here for?" Arwen asked, looking between them questioningly, not sure what to make of the situation.

"A dress for the Midsummer Festival."

"And why are you here?" Arwen asked, looking up at Legolas. She had heard about his dislike of the princess from Aragorn and Gwailin herself, so she was surprised to see them together.

"He will be escorting me to the Festival, so I persuaded him to help me pick out what to wear. We must match, after all."

"I see," said Arwen, looking up at the scowling prince with a smile. She could tell that there had been more coercion and misinformation involved than actual persuasion. "In that case, I will have to take you to my seamstress. I am sure she would be happy to get something ready for you in time for the Festival."

"Excellent!" Gwailin said, clapping her hands enthusiastically. "Won't this be fun?"

As she grabbed Legolas's arm and started steering him back down the halls after Arwen, Legolas thought of a number of things that would be more fun than dress shopping with Gwailin. Strangling her came to mind, as did being devoured by a dragon or joining the creature Gollum in the fires of Mount Doom. He only hoped that somehow he could disappear and find Aragorn, escaping from the clutches of the infuriating elleth now holding his forearm in a vice grip.

* * *

"So what color were you planning on wearing?"

"I can honestly say I had not thought about it," Legolas said, arms folded across his chest as he stood watching Gwailin pour over racks of fabric thoughtfully. Arwen had left them to let Aragorn know they were there, so now her seamstress stood patiently off to the side while Gwailin browsed.

"Since it is summer, perhaps something bright? How do you feel about purple?" she asked, holding up a vibrant purple satin. Legolas just rolled his eyes.

"No? Alright then. Green is always a safe color, but I suppose many of you wood elves will wear green. We can't blend in."

"Do you really need me here?" he asked, for the third time. "I have no opinion whatsoever on what you choose to wear. I know it will be something vibrant and flashy and it really doesn't matter what I say, because you will do whatever you want in the end."

"You know me so well already," Gwailin said, grinning up at him.

Legolas was about to make a snide comment when he caught sight of Aragorn, returning with Arwen. He quickly walked up to the king and greeted him happily.

"Save me," he whispered in Aragorn's ear, his eyes pleading with the king to get him out of his current predicament. Aragorn looked up at him, trying not to look overly amused at the elf's desperation.

"Good afternoon, my lady," he said, looking over at Gwailin.

"And to you, my lord!" she said enthusiastically, putting down the fabric she was examining and bowing low to Aragorn. "It is a pleasure, as always."

"I hate to bother you both, I know you are on an important errand," he said, glancing at Legolas to see his reaction to this claim. "But I must ask to borrow Legolas for awhile."

"Must you?" Gwailin asked sadly, sighing pitifully. "Alright, if you have to. Just make sure you return him before I leave. I wouldn't want him having to travel all the way back to the Ithilien on his own."

"Of course," Aragorn said with a smile, before gesturing for Legolas to follow him out of the shop. Legolas hurried after the king, feeling great relief as he finally escaped Gwailin's clutches.

"I cannot thank you enough," Legolas said, smiling at the king in gratitude.

"She is not as bad as you make her out to be," Aragorn said, amused. "She is pleasant company and quite helpful when she wishes to be."

"Exactly. When she wishes to be. Right now, all she wants is to irritate me to the point of insanity."

"Perhaps if you weren't so sensitive, she wouldn't get so much amusement out of bothering you. Are you sure you are not trying to hide feelings for the lady?"

"I assure you," Legolas said stiffly. "I would like nothing more than to be rid of her for good."

"You are the only person who sees her that way then," Aragorn replied. "Perhaps you should give her a chance."

"I am giving her a chance," Legolas said through gritted teeth. "I am giving her the chance to behave like the diplomat she claims to be, and yet she acts like a wild child."

"I admit, diplomacy is not her strong point," Aragorn said with a laugh. "Maybe if you started acting more cheerful, she would start acting less irritating and more diplomatic."

"Maybe," Legolas said skeptically. "Can we talk about something else? I need a break from thinking about her royal highness."

* * *

"You have certainly gotten under the prince's skin," Arwen said with a smile, watching as Gwailin began folding all the fabric she had gotten out to ask Legolas about.

"He makes it far too easy," Gwailin said with a laugh. "The more he complains the more fun it is. If he stopped scowling every time he looked at me, I would not be so childish."

"I am amazed you got him here in the first place."

"He secretly wanted to come. He will never admit it though. And he's right, I really had no intention of listening to his advice in the first place."

"Do you know what you are going to wear then?"

"I have an idea," Gwailin said with a grin, walking over to a wall and pulling off a roll of fabric. "As long as your seamstress is willing to give it a shot."

"I will do my best on whatever you need, Princess," the seamstress said with a smile. "Just tell me what you need."

* * *

When Legolas went to find Gwailin at the end of the day, despite the fact that he seriously considered leaving her to her own devices, he found she was not in the Citadel.

"She wanted to visit her friends in the city," Arwen explained with a smile. "You really should not have any trouble finding her. I am certain she will have a large congregation around her somewhere."

"Of that I am sure," Legolas said in agreement. "Thank you for your hospitality, my lady. Will you be joining us for the Midsummer Festival?"

"I do not know yet, I shall think about it," she said evenly. "I think perhaps the evening will get a little too rowdy for me. Gwailin will make sure of that."

"I fear the worst," Legolas confessed before excusing himself and going to find Gwailin. He was almost to the gates when he found her, surrounded by a group of men as expected.

"Your taunting is as weak as your beer, my friend!" she was shouting over the laughter. She took the tankard in her hand and flipped it upside down on the table triumphantly, earning a cheer from the crowd. Across a large wooden table from her sat a burly man with a short blonde beard.

"You may be elf-kind, missy," he said, burping in the middle of his sentence. "But you are still a woman." There was a chorus of "ooo" from the onlookers as all eyes looked to Gwailin to see what she would do. She just leaned on the table, a smirk on her face.

"I'm not one of the prissy high elves, boy. We are made of stronger stuff in the mountains."

Legolas looked up and saw a tavern sign hanging above the crowd. Shaking his head, he pushed his way forward until he reached the side of the table.

"Hold on a second, hun," she said, when he opened his mouth. Not looking at him, she leaned forward, elbow on the table. Slightly thrown at being called "hun", Legolas watched as the barkeep leaned forward as well, putting his own elbow on the table, clasping her hand in his.

"Go!" said an eager boy standing to Legolas's right. Both combatants stared each other down, gritting teeth as they fought for supremacy in their battle of strength. The crowd was hooting and hollering, cheering them on.

"Are you almost ready to go?" he asked impatiently after half a minute without a winner.

"I suppose," Gwailin said with a grunt, giving a last heave and slamming the barkeep's hand on the table. Money exchanged hands as she picked up a tankard in victory, chugging it and slamming it down on the table where the man sat in defeat.

"I told you, Onon, it's all about leverage," she said with a grin. "But since I am a good winner, drinks all around!" she said, holding up her hands in an uproar of cheers. "Here," she said, slapping another handful of coins on the table next to her winnings. "That should cover it."

"Much obliged, my lady," her opponent said, bowing his head with a toothy grin. "On your next visit we will have to have a drinking contest."

"You don't stand a chance at that," Gwailin said with a laugh, patting the man on the back as he joined the crowd heading into his tavern. "You'll need at least a dozen of your best men to drink me under the table!"

"We will see!" Onon shouted back, disappearing into the crowded pub. Shaking her head, Gwailin looked up at Legolas.

"Did you have a good day hiding from me?" she asked, taking his arm and steering him over to their horses, both of which were tied up outside the pub.

"Quite," he said, untying his gray horse before swinging into the saddle. "I see you had a busy day."

"I have been enjoying myself. You should try it sometime," she said mounting her own horse and moving close enough to elbow him in the ribs. "Get that scowl of your handsome face."

"I enjoy myself plenty when you are not around to bother me," he said evenly, not looking at her as they rode towards the gates.

"Now see, I don't believe you. I don't think I have ever met an elf as serious and grumpy as you. My father may come in a close second though, but that's because he has to deal with my mother all the time."

"Take after her, do you?" Legolas asked, unsurprised to hear this.

"If I really wanted to annoy you, I would have my mother visit. You would essentially have to deal with two of me."

"I think I would be forced to drown myself," Legolas said, imagining the horror of dealing with two Gwailins.

"I should have her come visit," Gwailin mused, grinning widely at the fear slowly growing in Legolas's eyes. "She would love it here."

"I would strongly advise against it, unless you want to accidentally be murdered in your sleep."

"Accidentally?" Gwailin laughed. "How are you going to 'accidentally' murder me?"

"I have been pondering several ideas since you first arrived," he said mysteriously.

* * *

Legolas managed not to murder Gwailin on the return trip, though he was less than thrilled to arrive in time for dinner, meaning he had to spend another meal with her.

"How was Minas Tirith?" Haloneth asked pleasantly, looking up as Legolas sat down on his right, Gwailin across the table.

"It was a lovely visit," Gwailin said. "I spent time with the Queen, I ordered a gown for the Festival, I was able to socialize, and I beat my favorite barkeep at arm wrestling."

"Really?" Haloneth said, looking over at Legolas. "And how was your day doing all this?"

"My day was not bad either, as I managed to avoid most of this frivolity thanks to the King."

"Aragorn rescued you, did he?" Haloneth said with a grin.

"I was most grateful," Legolas admitted. After the day he had, he was done pretending to be diplomatic towards Gwailin. It was no secret he did not care for her presence, so he had no reason to hide it any longer.

"He doesn't mean it," Gwailin assured Haloneth. "He's just upset that Aragorn took him away before he got to see the gown I will be wearing to the Festival."

"I assure you, I could not care any less," Legolas shot back, looking up at her over his dinner.

"Just wait until you see it," she said, beaming back at him.

"With luck, some natural disaster will carry you away before that happens."

"You know that no force of nature can keep me away for long."

"I do miss those peaceful days before you arrived."

"And you will miss these days even more, once I leave."

"I do believe I will look back and wonder how I managed not to strangle you."

"That seems a bit harsh. I am a delight."

"Says who?"

"Everyone except you, hun."

"Isn't there some death-defying activity you should be doing?"

"Now that you mention it, yes. I promised Ettelea I would go flying with her this evening. If you will excuse me."

Gwailin stood and came around the table. As she bent down to kiss Legolas's cheek like usual, he held up his hand next to his ear to keep her away. Shrugging, Gwailin walked away. As Legolas put his hand down, she snuck up behind him and kissed his other cheek, laughing as she skipped away happily. Legolas rolled his eyes and returned to his meal.

"You two are getting along fabulously," Haloneth said with a smile, watching Legolas eat his meal aggressively.

"Oh yes," Legolas said sarcastically. "We are having a grand time."

"I was being serious," Haloneth said, still watching Legolas. The Prince looked up at him with a skeptical look.

"What makes you think we are getting along?"

"You are playing her game now," Haloneth explained, looking down as he continued his own meal. "You are letting her rattle you."

"Oh no, I am not playing her game. I am rearranging the board so it is in my favor." This made Haloneth laugh.

"If you keep trying to beat her this way, it will never be in your favor. Look at the way she skipped out of here. She is winning and she knows it."

Legolas was silent, brooding over what his friend had said. He cursed himself for letting her play him like that. The trip to Minas Tirith was all just a ploy to get him out of his comfort zone long enough for her to force him to play her game. Haloneth was right. She was winning.


	6. Chapter 6

_Enjoy!_

* * *

The next day Legolas was back to the aloof diplomat. He greeted Gwailin pleasantly then went back to ignoring her. She was scheduled to spend the day in the southern forests, so he felt confident he could find his composure long enough to deal with her for the short times they would be forced to interact. He was feeling very pleased with himself until he arrived back at his quarters to find her chatting with Haloneth right outside his door.

"Perfect! Now we can get started," she said happily, taking his arm as he walked up to them.

"On what?" he asked, fairly certain he didn't want to know the answer.

"I was talking to Haloneth about how you wouldn't help me pick a dress so I had to make my own decision. I confessed that I was worried we would clash, so he said that I should go through your clothes and pick out something that works with what I am getting."

"Did he?" Legolas asked, glaring daggers at his traitorous friend. "I am sorry, but I think you will just have to risk clashing."

"Come now, I can't let you be completely overshadowed by me," she said with no trace of modesty.

"That is a risk I am willing to take," Legolas said, freeing his arm from her grip, privately thinking that it was not much of a risk, since she most certainly would overshadow him intentionally.

"If you let me pick out something for you, I will leave you alone until the Festival."

Legolas paused, hand on the doorknob.

"Are you serious?" he asked, turning to look at Gwailin.

"I promise. I will stay away from you, not saying a word to you, for a whole week. You will not have to deal with me until the Festival."

"It sounds too good to be true," Legolas said, turning to her and crossing his arms suspiciously.

"I swear I will not talk to you, I will refrain from sending you messages, I will stay at least twenty meters from you at all times," she said, holding her hand over her heart. It was too good of an offer to pass up.

"Very well," Legolas said, opening his door and letting Gwailin and Haloneth into his quarters.

He eyed Gwailin carefully as she made straight for his wardrobe, opening the doors with gusto.

"Now let's see what you have in here…"

"I can't believe you," Legolas muttered to Haloneth as the elf lord stood next to him, a smile on his face.

"You are welcome," Haloneth said pleasantly, watching Gwailin pulling out tunics one by one. She went through at least a dozen, making disapproving faces and laying them on the back of a chair, before she found one that peaked her interest. She walked over to Legolas, holding it out in front of him, apparently imagining him wearing it, before shaking her head and throwing it over the chair with the other rejected tunics.

"Is this all you have?" she said, looking around the room for another closet or wardrobe.

"Yes. Unlike you, apparently, I do not need a new outfit for every occasion." He noticed Gwailin smirk at his words, and silently cursed himself for his comment. It was getting progressively harder not to get riled up when she spoke to him. It was going to be a blessing to not deal with her for a full week.

"Well this won't do," she said finally, putting her hands on her hips and turning to him. "Nothing matches. I guess I will just have to have something made for you."

"Excuse me?" he asked, watching her go back through his tunics, hanging them up in the wardrobe.

"I can get Arwen's seamstress to make you a fine outfit. I am assuming you would rather wear a tunic than robes? You don't appear to have many of the latter."

"That is not necessary," Legolas said, trying to head her off quickly before she got too many ideas.

"It most certainly is. Not to worry, I can pay for it. It will be a gift, since you have been so wonderfully hospitable since our arrival."

"Really, I do not want or need another tunic."

"In this case, you do. I think I will just bring this to Minas Tirith tomorrow as a template," Gwailin mused, holding up one of his finer tunics. "Yes, this will do."

"I really do not need a tunic," he said, going over to her and attempting to take the tunic from her. She refused to hand it over however, and just dodged around him, smiling pleasantly.

"You are getting one anyway. I will have Melhir deliver it when it is done. Goodnight, my lord. I will see you in a week. Lord Haloneth."

"Princess," Haloneth said, bowing his head politely as she departed quickly, not giving Legolas the chance to complain any further.

"Why did you do that?" he asked, glaring at his friend once more.

"She seemed very concerned that you match. And I thought you'd be happy. A full week without her highness speaking to you."

"That I am looking forward to," Legolas admitted, imaging the wonderful bliss that he would enjoy over the next week. "What I am concerned about is what she is going to have made for me with the expectation that I wear it."

"Relax. You know she will not want to be upstaged, so I doubt you have any cause for concern. If all else fails, you can wear something else."

"I can just see this ending badly for me," Legolas said, shaking his head and closing the door behind Haloneth as he departed.

* * *

"How are you going to go a full week without bothering the prince?" Ettelea asked, sitting on Gwailin's bed as the two of them talked.

"It's all part of the plan. I will use the time to prepare, and he will start to feel like he is safe for a while."

"What kind of dress did you end up getting?" Ettelea asked, excited.

"You will see. I have carefully planned the whole thing. I already asked Arwen's seamstress if she would have time to sew a matching tunic when I was there yesterday, and she said that she would be sure to have both done. I just need to get this tunic to her so she has the right measurements."

"That still doesn't answer the question of what you are planning to do all week to stay out of his way."

"For tomorrow at least, I will likely be in Minas Tirith all day again. I need to visit a smith and a jeweler, and perhaps I should find some different shoes as well," she said, looking over at the pairs of shoes and the boots she had brought.

"You are really putting a lot of effort into this," Ettelea said, her smile fading. "Are you sure it is worth it?"

"Absolutely. He started cracking yesterday, and it was glorious. It was like he was an actual person for a change."

"No!" Ettelea said, acting shocked. "You jest!"

"I would never!" Gwailin said in mock indignation. "'Tis true. He was conversational and sarcastic. Still grumpy, but willing to actually verbally spar with me."

"I am sad I missed it," Ettelea said, shifting in her seat. "I am also sad I missed his face when you asked to go through his clothes."

"The look he gave Haloneth was priceless," Gwailin said, laughing as she remembered the look of utter distain on the prince's face. "I am glad I am no longer trying to act proper in front of him anymore. He has proven to be a valuable asset."

"Why do you think he is so helpful?"

"I would guess that it is because he recognizes that Prince Legolas is too consumed with his work to enjoy himself once in a while. I am the solution to that problem."

"He must be desperate to agree that you are a solution to anyone's problem," Ettelea said, laughing as Gwailin pushed her off the bed. Standing upright, Ettelea turned to look at Gwailin again. "Anyway, if you need company to keep you from breaking your promise to Legolas, let me know. You know I am always happy to keep you entertained."

* * *

Legolas thoroughly enjoyed his week without Gwailin. He had several elves come up to him and comment about how happy he looked, especially after he had been so moody for the past few weeks. He would just nod and say that he had been very stressed before. It was true. His stress level was much lower without having to be tense all the time, waiting for Gwailin to do something ridiculous. He was really going to miss the peace once the week was up.

The day of the festival, Legolas sat in his office, finishing up his logs for the day, trying to focus as his level of dread at what lay ahead of him that night started growing. It was with a heavy sigh that he looked up and saw Melhir standing in his door, a wrapped package in his hands.

"I suppose I cannot ignore it any longer," Legolas said, standing to greet Melhir. "I am assuming that is what her highness expects me to wear this evening."

"It is," Melhir said with a smile. "And I do suggest you wear it. It will only get worse for you if you don't."

"I dare not ask," Legolas said, taking the package and looking at it sadly. "Has she coerced you into joining in her fun?"

"I think I got off easy, actually. She is just having us wear our formal riding tunics."

"Is there any chance you can give me some insight into what her grand plan is so I can prepare myself?"

"I am sorry, my lord, but she is playing this one close to the chest. She is determined to have her moment and is making sure she is the only one who knows exactly what that entails."

"That is unfortunate," Legolas said, sitting back in his chair. "What do you expect she will do?"

"From my experience, you cannot predict what Princess Gwailin will do no matter how much you know about her. She delights in stupefying her audience, and for a couple thousand years, she only had us. And yet she still managed to surprise us every time. You have given her an incredible challenge, and she is determined to have a grand victory in the end."

"It is only one night. I just hope I can last the whole night without killing her."

"It is a battle many have fought," Melhir said, the corners of his mouth twitching. "As of yet, she has managed to stave off all attempts on her life from individuals she has chosen to rile, but I have faith in you, my lord. I think you could be the one to put her in her place."

"Thank you for the vote of confidence," Legolas said with a smile. "I hope it will not come to that, but I guess we will have to see."

"Indeed. By the way, Princess Gwailin specifically told me to inform you that she will arrive at the Festival Hall at sunset. It will not be necessary for you to go and get her. She wishes you to enjoy a couple hours of peace before she descends upon you."

"She said that?" Legolas asked, surprised.

"No, but it was implied," Melhir said simply. "I must go tend to her highness. I shall see you later this evening, my lord."

"Certainly. Thank you, Melhir." The elf bowed before exiting, leaving Legolas alone once more. Legolas wished again that it had only been Melhir to come to the Ithilien. He liked the elf. So much more calm and quiet than his princess.

Bracing himself for what might be inside, Legolas carefully untied the twine around the package, unfolding the thick brown paper. To his surprise, it was a perfectly normal tunic in a dark blue-green color. It was trimmed in silver, with subtle leaf designs embroidered on it. The throat clasp was a simple vine.

Melhir was right. Legolas had not been prepared for this. He had expected some over-the-top vibrant color, possibly pink, with some wild designs and excessive fabric trim. In all honesty, he liked the design she had chosen. And the color reminded him of the sea. He felt a tug in his heart as he thought of the rolling waves on the shore. He could still feel the lure of the sea after ten years.

Thinking about the sea also reminded him that Gwailin had commissioned foods made of seaweed and water snakes. The cooks had said they were going to try making the dishes Gwailin requested, but they were skeptical. He didn't blame them. The whole idea sounded odd to him.

Thinking about Gwailin again made him wonder once more what her plan was. She had surprised him with a rather simple tunic, but what did that mean for her outfit? Was she trying to ensure he would be invisible next to her, or was she going to come up with something else for him to wear once she arrived? He didn't fancy either idea. He felt the latter was more likely, considering her greatest thrill in life was to irritate him.

Sighing, knowing that his logs were not going to get finished now that his mind was fully committed to worrying about Gwailin, Legolas stood, picking up his new tunic.

There was no point avoiding it any longer. Entering his bedroom, Legolas laid out the tunic on his bed, looking at it carefully for a few moments. There was no way of knowing what Gwailin was plotting. He shouldn't stress about it when there was nothing he could do. But he was still worried, wondering what he would face in just a few hours at the Midsummer Festival.


	7. Chapter 7

_Part 7! I will probably not update this weekend, as I will be learning how to be a Marine. But I will post part 8 next week. Enjoy_

* * *

It was hard for Legolas to enjoy himself at the Festival. He felt like he was waiting for an executioner. He smiled politely and tried to act calm, but Haloneth noticed he kept anxiously looking at the sky, waiting for darkness to fall.

"Calm down, Legolas. You look like you expect someone to fly over and drop a boulder on your head."

"Not a boulder, perhaps, but I wouldn't put it past Gwailin to drop something else. She may choose to have her grand entrance from the sky. I wouldn't put it past her."

"You really need to get over this paranoia. If you stopped being such an easy target…"

"When I spoke to her the first time, I had no idea what she was capable of," Legolas explained, sitting in the marble throne Gimli had made for him on the Hall's raised stone patio. Haloneth sat beside him in a smaller chair, reserved for the prince's advisors.

"She must have targeted you for a reason."

"I was the only other elf in Minas Tirith, Haloneth. I think that is the only reason she needed. I still don't know why she decided to come here in the first place. We barely interacted after the War."

"After this, she may leave," Haloneth suggested, though he didn't sound very optimistic.

"I find that very unlikely, unless she is summoned elsewhere by her father," Legolas said, rubbing his temple below his silver crown. "I wonder if I could get Melhir to return to the Rhun and ask King Oiotar to call her home."

"You may want to hold off on your plans for the moment."

"Why?" Legolas asked, looking up at Haloneth. The elf just nodded, staring at the opposite side of the Hall. Legolas looked around, standing up abruptly.

Melhir had once again been right. He had not at all been prepared for Gwailin's entrance. She had timed it perfectly. The main doors were situated facing the west, so as they opened, the setting sun shone in to illuminate the Hall. The light fell on the dance floor, which occupied a sunken space in the middle, stairs leading up to the side platforms, the main doors, and the patio where Legolas now stood in shock.

All eyes were focused on the three elves in the doorway. Naturally, Gwailin stood in the center, her two attendants dressed in their formal robes on either side. Gwailin started walking slowly down the stairs, the hem of her skirt lifted just far enough for her silver shoes to be seen as she stepped down into the Hall.

Legolas was speechless. He had expected flair in everything she did. What he hadn't expected was the unparalleled elegance with which she presented herself now. Her auburn hair hung in ringlets to her waist, silver ribbons woven into the curls, a delicate silver circlet that resembled cresting waves resting on her brow. Her gown was of a pale sea green fabric that shimmered in the fading sunlight, the silver embroidered waves on the hem and sleeves twinkling merrily. Across the low neckline was a silver eagle, its wings spread from one bare shoulder to the other. A silver belt carved with images of ocean waves adorned her waist.

Her gown trailed behind her as she crossed the floor, elves moving out of her way as she headed straight for Legolas. Without all the excess and gimmicks, Gwailin had still managed to get the attention of every individual in the Hall. Legolas was unable to move as she reached the bottom of the steps, and curtseyed gracefully as Melhir and Ettelea bowed a step behind her.

"Good evening, my lord," she said, smiling gently up at him as she rose. Finding his feet working again, Legolas walked down the stairs until he was level with her.

"My lady," he said, bowing his head politely, holding out his hand for hers. She gently placed her thin hand in his, letting him lead her up the stairs to the patio where Haloneth and a handful of other advisors stood in rapt attention. They all bowed in greeting as she reached the top of the stairs. She smiled and gave a small curtsey before letting Legolas direct her into the recently vacated chair beside the throne.

"I am glad to see you actually wore the tunic I bought, my lord," she said pleasantly, nodding at Melhir and Ettelea. They both bowed their heads and descended the stairs once more, making their way over to one of the side platforms where elves were laughing and eating, having returned to their merrymaking after Gwailin's entrance.

"I must admit, you managed to surprise me, Princess," Legolas replied, looking over at her as she grateful accepted a goblet of wine from a servant. "The tunic, and now this?"

"I believe in staying unpredictable is the most interesting way to live," she said, calmly shaking her head as another servant offered her food.

"Interesting is one way of putting it," he said, watching her as she scanned the hall before her eyes returned to him.

"I could very well have tried to humiliate you, Prince Legolas. Give me some credit. I went through a great deal of effort for this."

"Of that I have no doubts," Legolas said, looking her up and down once more. "That is quite an outfit."

"Thank you," Gwailin said, taking it as a compliment since that was probably the best she was going to get out of the prince. "I am quite delighted with how it turned out."

"It is a lovely gown," Haloneth said, walking up to Gwailin and taking her hand, kissing it with a smile. "Your beauty shines this evening like Earendil itself."

"You are too kind, Lord Haloneth," she said, giving him a dazzling smile. "Are you enjoying yourself this evening?"

"Certainly. Any day I get to see your smiling face is a wonderful day."

"Stop it," Gwailin said with a laugh. "Such flattery."

"I mean every word," Haloneth said, grinning. "I know the Prince Legolas is your escort this evening, but I would very much like the chance to dance with your royal highness if you are willing."

"That sounds delightful," Gwailin said, handing her goblet to a waiting servant. "You don't mind, do you my lord?"

She didn't wait for Legolas to answer, giving him a quick smile before descending the stairs to the dance floor. Legolas watched as she picked up the hem of her skirt with one hand and Haloneth took the other as they began gliding across the floor. He drank the last swig of wine in his goblet before passing it to the servant behind him, standing and making his way across the stairs to join the elves laughing and eating to the side. If Gwailin was going to entertain herself without him, he wasn't going to complain. Perhaps he would suffer through a dance or two to be polite, but he wasn't going to go out of his way to ensure she was with him all night. Not after the effort he put in to get her away from him.

* * *

"How do you think I am doing so far?" Gwailin asked Haloneth, grinning as he led her around the dance floor.

"With your dancing or your plan to drive the prince to insanity?"

"Either one," Gwailin said with a laugh.

"I think your dancing is superb, though I expected no less. You may have more luck tormenting the prince if you spend most of the night talking to him and not dancing with me."

"You don't think he will get jealous?"

"Perhaps, but he has done a very good job convincing himself that he wants nothing to do with you. It may take more than just a few dances to convince him otherwise."

"Very well. I will make an effort to irritate him face to face at some point this evening."

"I am glad you are trying to make him enjoy himself, but I am not sure I agree with your methods," Haloneth said, obviously concerned for his friend. "He was pretty enthusiastic about your absence over the last week."

"I know he was. He deserved a break from me. I know everyone needs one once in a while."

"How ever did your parents manage to raise you?"

"My mother is at fault for how I turned out. She is wilder than I, if you can believe it."

"I am not sure I can," Haloneth said with a smile as the song ended. "Why don't you go pull Legolas away from his admirers?" Gwailin looked around to see Legolas was currently talking with three young elleths, though he looked slightly uncomfortable.

"I am not sure my company will be seen as an improvement, but I shall do what I can. Thank you for the dance, my lord."

"Of course, Princess."

Gwailin carefully made her way through the crowd, climbing the stairs up to the platform where Legolas was trying to politely decline dancing with them.

"I am sorry, ladies, but I do not particularly enjoy dancing."

"Nonsense," Gwailin said, climbing the last few steps and stopping beside Legolas. "You are an elf, aren't you? Or did you spend too much time in the company of men and dwarves that you forgot? Come, I will make you dance." She grabbed Legolas's elbow, forcefully steering him down the stairs onto the dance floor. Grateful as he was to no longer be conversing awkwardly with the elleths now pouting at the top of the stairs, he really did not want to dance with Gwailin either.

"That was unnecessary," he said as she put him in the proper position to start dancing.

"No need to thank me," she replied with a smile as he started moving to the music, leading her around the dance floor.

"I wasn't," he said, looking down at her with his scornful look.

"You are welcome nonetheless," Gwailin said, ignoring his irritation. "Haloneth said you needed rescuing."

"Of course he did," Legolas said, looking around for the elven lord.

"He was only trying to help."

"I am sure. Help you irritate me."

"I don't need help with that," Gwailin said with a cheerful grin. "You make it so easy."

"I don't understand this fascination you have with intentionally trying to irk me all the time. What did I do to deserve such treatment?"

"I told you, you are no fun whatsoever. I am going to get you to have some fun."

"How is your irrational behavior causing me stress going to lead to fun?"

"That is my secret last step," Gwailin said, looking very proud of herself. "You will find out when you get there."

"How long is that going to take?" he asked, hoping his torment was almost over.

"That entirely depends on you," she said as the song stopped. She took the opportunity to kiss him on the cheek before continuing. "I am hungry. Did you manage to fulfill any of my requests?"

"The cooks tried," Legolas said, letting her lead him up the stairs to the food. "I don't know what you expected."

"That looks fabulous!" Gwailin said excitedly, looking at the various dishes on the table, including one that was decorated with a whole snake. "You must try this."

"I don't think so," Legolas said, holding up his hand as she tried to feed him a cracker with snake meat on it.

"At least try it. It is delicious. Not the usual kind of snakes we eat, but still delicious."

"You are not going to get me to eat that."

"Not even if I beg?"

"No."

"Suit yourself," she said, popping the snack into her mouth, looking very unladylike as she chewed the entire cracker in one go.

Legolas fought hard to keep from rolling his eyes at her. Instead he picked up another goblet of wine. He had a feeling he would be consuming a large quantity of the liquid before the night was through.

"Will you at least try this?" she asked, holding out a small vegetable dumpling, which had been artfully wrapped in seaweed as per the Princess's request.

"You haven't poisoned it, have you?" Gwailin just laughed.

"I have put far too much effort into my work with you to just kill you now. What a waste that would be." With mixed feelings about her response, Legolas took the dumpling she offered and took a bite. It was actually surprisingly good. His face must have showed it.

"You see? It isn't so bad. Even with the raw eels." Legolas choked, horrified at what she had said. Gwailin just handed him a cloth napkin, a grin on her face. "I'm kidding. Calm down. It's a shame you weren't drinking wine at the time. That would have been hysterical."

"Really, Gwailin," Legolas said, his temper rising despite his best efforts. "That wasn't funny."

"It was mildly amusing. If I made you laugh and wine came out your nose, that would be funny. But alas, you don't get my humor, so I think that will be unlikely."

"Yes, your humor is certainly an acquired taste. Much like your food," he said, giving the snake a skeptical look.

"My dear Prince, that was almost a joke," Gwailin said, looking shocked as she held her hand against her chest. "I am so proud of you."

"Yes, well, do not get used to it," he said, depositing his goblet and napkin on the tray.

"Prince Legolas?"

Legolas and Gwailin looked around to see a handsome young elf with black hair dressed in dark blue robes standing just off to the side.

"Yes, Milubor?"

"If you do not mind, I would like to ask your guest, Princess Gwailin, for a dance."

"Well aren't you sweet?" Gwailin said, smiling at the young elf. "I would be honored to dance with you. Do not worry about Prince Legolas. He finds himself in a disagreeable mood today. You would be better not to make any important requests until his mood improves." Gwailin smiled cheekily at Legolas as she took Milubor's arm and let him lead her down the steps.

"I feel compelled once more to apologize for our Princess," Melhir said, appearing suddenly at Legolas's shoulder. "It takes a great deal of time to get used to her. I have known her all her life, and I still don't know what to think of her at times."

"You are much more tolerant than I to put up with her for so long," Legolas said, turning to look at his companion. "How do you manage it?"

"I was gifted with a natural patience that has served me well dealing with her. Ettelea is naturally cheerful and willing to go along with her antics. I do not think either strategy will serve you in this case. I am afraid you will have to find your own way, my lord."

"I am certainly trying," he said, turning back to watch Gwailin dancing with Milubor, laughing melodiously as they spoke quietly.

"And I do suggest you try the water snake. You will be surprised." Legolas glanced around at Melhir, but the elf had already slipped away quietly amongst the assembled elves. Looking back at Gwailin to make sure she wasn't watching, Legolas quickly grabbed a cracker with the snake on it, eating it quickly before he was noticed. It was very unusual, but not unpleasant.

"I saw that," Haloneth said, walking up to the prince.

"Melhir suggested I try it."

"Trying to be stealthy though?" his advisor observed, glancing down at Gwailin, who had switched partners and was now dancing with a lord.

"She cannot always have her way," Legolas said, his eyes following the princess as she moved gracefully around the dance floor. No matter where she went or how she moved, she stood out against the crowd like a full moon amongst the stars.

"She is pretty skilled at making it so that rarely happens," Haloneth said with a smile. "I am glad you are warming up to her."

"Warming up to her?" Legolas asked incredulously. "How is it exactly that I am warming up to her?"

"The fact that you talk to her, for starters. You refused to have a conversation with her only a few weeks ago. That is progress, despite the resulting verbal sparring. I believe once again, she is winning, since you seem to have concocted this concept of a game between the two of you."

"I know she is," Legolas relented with a sigh. "I have yet to find a solution to the problem."

"You could just let her win and smile for a change," Haloneth suggested, earning a look from Legolas. "It could end your suffering much quicker."

"It would be even worse living with her after her victory," Legolas said, grabbing yet another goblet of wine and downing half of it in one go. "I can already see the smug look on her face as she dances through the village in her inappropriate clothing."

"Ah, but even in her unusual clothing, there is still something about her that draws even you to her," Haloneth said, watching the muscles in Legolas's face twitch as he watched her dance with yet another elf.

"If that is true, than I am doomed to an eternity of misery," Legolas said heavily.

"If you experience misery as a result of Princess Gwailin, it is entirely your own fault." Legolas turned to look at his friend as the elf walked away from him pointedly. His eyes returned to Gwailin as she continued dancing, a brilliant smile on her face.

* * *

"Thank you, for the dance, my lord," Gwailin said, curtseying as her latest dance partner left her alone to socialize with the elves enjoying the terrace overlooking the gardens. She felt a pleasant flush in her cheeks from the rapid series of dance partners she had gone through, all of which had done their best to flatter her immensely. The attention was certainly appreciated, but she needed a moment to breathe before she dove back into the frivolity.

"Princess Gwailin, you certainly seem to be enjoying yourself."

"Coronlir, so good to see you. And this must be your wife," Gwailin said, smiling pleasantly at the elleth on his arm.

"This is Windiel. My love, this is Princess Gwailin."

"It is a pleasure to meet you, your grace," Windiel said, curtseying politely.

"The pleasure is truly mine, my lady," Gwailin said cheerfully. "Your husband was quite helpful to me and my research here in the Ithilien. You must truly be a great lady to have won such a fine elf for a husband."

"You are too kind, my lady," Coronlir said, bowing his head in thanks as his wife beamed up at him.

"And where is your escort for the evening?" Windiel asked with a smile. "You have certainly captured Prince Legolas's eye."

"I have trained him well I think," Gwailin said merrily, failing to notice as the elf in question had suddenly appeared behind her. "He knows better than to take his eye off of me for fear I will end up doing something wild and unexpected, possibly to him. It takes a great deal of focus and discipline to bend someone to your will like that."

"Excuse me," Legolas interrupted, coming up behind Gwailin and putting his hand tightly around her elbow. "But I must borrow Gwailin for a moment."

"Uh oh," Gwailin said, glancing up at Legolas then back at Coronlir and Windiel. "I think I may be in trouble. If you would excuse me." Legolas forcefully steered her off the terrace, down the side stairs and down the path a ways until no more elves were within earshot.

"I was just kidding," Gwailin said with a sigh as Legolas made her stop beside a large oak tree. "You know I didn't mean—"

Gwailin stopped midsentence as Legolas's hands moved towards her throat. For a split second, she gasped, thinking he might actually strangle her. Much to her surprise, his hands instead cradled her cheeks as he pulled her lips to his. Her eyes were wide in astonishment as he moved away from her slowly, his bright blue eyes finding hers.

"I…I don't know what to say," she said softly, reaching her hands behind her to steady herself on the oak.

"Oh how I have waited for that," Legolas said, smirking before his lips connected with hers once more. Gwailin couldn't help but smile into the kiss, her eyes closing as she kissed him back. This was the last thing she expected from him, but now that she stood there, pinned between him and the oak tree, she was more than willing to go along with it.

"You are the most infuriating and irritating person I have ever know," Legolas said as he broke the kiss once more. "As much as I hate you for it, I can't help loving you for it too."

"I never thought this would happen," Gwailin said, breathing heavily from the emotional weight of that moment. "You may be easy to annoy and far too uptight, but I have to admit, I've had more fun here with you the last few weeks than I have in all my years of death-defying antics in the sea and sky. I think I love you, Legolas."

Gwailin met his lips with hers for a third kiss, her hands moving up to grip the front of his tunic as she moved closer to him. He moved his hands to her waist, pulling her hips towards him. It was a long kiss, neither one of them wanting to break it. Finally Gwailin pushed him back gently, looking up at him with a beautiful, cocky smirk.

"I guess this means I win," she said, her eyes shining with mischief and glee.

"I don't think so," Legolas said, matching her smirk with one of his own as he leaned forward, his lips less than an inch from hers. "I have changed the rules now. I win."


	8. Chapter 8

_Warning to all young readers, there will be suggestive content through the rest of this story. I'm not changing the rating, but I thought I should warn you anyway. And if the last chapter seemed rushed or weird, I apologize. This is mostly to test my capability of writing humor. It may get a bit choppy as a result. Anyway, enjoy!_

* * *

Gwailin woke to the first light of dawn shining on her face. She sat up blinking, sitting still looking out the window for a time before standing and going to the wardrobe, searching for a plain tunic. When she found one, she quickly put it on, grabbing a pair of loose-fitting leggings as well. Fetching her discarded clothing from the night before, she sat on the edge of the bed to carefully start wrapping her circlet, belt, and shoes in the folds of her gown.

"Where do you think you are going so early? And in my clothes no less?"

"I did not think it was wise to be discovered this morning in your bed, my lord," Gwailin said with a smile as Legolas sat up, wrapping his arms around her waist and kissing her ear. "And it will be easier to sneak back to my quarters in a tunic and leggings than in a gown. I promise I will return them."

"Tonight perhaps?"

"We shall see," she said turning to kiss him softly. "But only if you admit I won."

"I will never admit that," he said defiantly, though he smiled. "Is it really worth you sneaking off? We both know you will tell Ettelea as soon as you return of our night together. You will not be able to resist the temptation."

"Oh really?" Gwailin said, raising her eyebrow. "Then how about a bet? If I tell Ettelea about us, then I will admit you won."

"Go on."

"But in the mean time, you will continue acting like I stepped on your pet snail every time you see me." This made Legolas roll his eyes before she continued. "If you break down first, then you must admit that I win."

"So whoever can keep from cracking the longest wins?" Legolas said, mulling it over. "Alright. I have faith that you will go no more than two days without telling Ettelea."

"Oh we shall see," Gwailin said, kissing him once more before standing. "You had best find somewhere to hide, my prince, because avoiding me is the only way you are going to win."

Legolas shook his head, smiling as he watched Gwailin disappear over the balcony. He had no doubts he was going to have a tough few days. But Ettelea would be wondering what happened the night before and why neither of them returned to the Festival, and Gwailin would have to fight her own battle to keep from sharing the details.

* * *

"Where were you last night?"

"I went for a walk."

"A walk…" Ettelea repeated skeptically. "You don't just go on walks. What were you really doing? I heard the Prince dragged you away forcibly just after midnight and neither of you returned."

"I don't know what he was doing," Gwailin said, forcing herself to maintain a passive demeanor as she stared at the book she was pretending to read to avoid making eye contact. "But I went for a walk."

"See, I don't believe you," Ettelea said, sitting on the end of Gwailin's bed. "What happened between you and the prince?"

"He seemed a little hostile after I said in conversation how well I had trained him, he told me I was the most infuriating and irritating person he has ever known. I guess he returned to his quarters, and I decided to go for a walk." Gwailin was trying to stick as close to the truth as possible, knowing Ettelea could tell instantly if she was lying. It was the unfortunate consequence of the close relationship between the two elleths.

"That's it?" Ettelea asked, looking at Gwailin closely to see if there was something she was hiding. "That sounds very uncharacteristic of you. Generally I would think you would follow the prince and just compound the problem."

"He was very forceful," Gwailin said truthfully, biting her lip to keep from smiling at the memory. He had always been so passive when dealing with her, even when she got him riled up. His forcefulness the night before had sent her heart fluttering, really seeing the passion in him for the first time.

"I will not say I am not suspicious," Ettelea admitted, standing and making for the door. "But I will let it pass this time. I will leave you to get ready for breakfast."

Gwailin let out a sigh of relief as the other elleth shut the door. Perhaps Legolas was right. One conversation with Ettelea and she was on the verge of crumbling. Swinging her legs out of bed, Gwailin stood to dress for the second time in an hour. She smiled as she began plotting ways to make Legolas crack first. It was going to be a busy day.

* * *

"How did it go?" Haloneth asked hesitantly as he sat down across from Legolas at the breakfast table. The prince looked weary, sitting heavily on the bench as he glanced up at his friend.

"I would rather not talk about it," Legolas said, eyes returning to his food. Haloneth fell silent, knowing that when Legolas was ready, he would talk about it.

"A very good morning to you, my lords!" Haloneth noticed Legolas close his eyes and take a deep breath before looking up at Gwailin, a broad smile on her face as she came over and sat on the end of the bench next to Legolas, sliding as close as possible to him as he determinedly looked at his meal. "Did you miss me?"

"Words cannot express my feelings about your absence, my lady," Legolas said, not looking at her, eyes determinedly on his porridge.

"Aww, you are so sweet," she said, clutching his free arm tightly and planting a kiss on his cheek. Haloneth noticed the muscles in Legolas's face twitch again as he clenched his jaw tightly.

"What are your plans for the day, my lady?" Haloneth asked, attempting to rescue the prince before he did something he regretted. Though he had not witnessed it, he had heard about Legolas angrily taking Gwailin aside for a private word the night before. He had feared the worst when neither had reappeared.

"I thought I would spend the entire day with Legolas," Gwailin said happily, still clutching his arm tightly. "He went a whole week without me, so I must make up for it somehow."

"Certainly you would rather do more interesting things than watch him write up ledgers and answer letters all day," Haloneth said, immediately regretting his question.

"Nonsense!" Gwailin said enthusiastically. "I have been running around from one end of the Ithilien to the other since I got here. I have learned your farming, building, and even cultural style, but I have yet to learn how to actually manage such an enterprise as this. Perhaps I could bring a contingent of elves here and start our own colony nearby!"

Haloneth looked at Legolas with pity as the prince's eyes looked to the heavens as if praying for deliverance from this plague upon his house.

"Perhaps you would like to join me in the fields again this afternoon?"

"Thank you for the offer, Haloneth, but I think I shall stay inside today. I danced so much yesterday, my feet feel tired and I would not mind spending the whole day pouring over ledgers, no matter how dull and dreary they are."

As Legolas stood, closely followed by Gwailin, Haloneth felt sorry for the prince. He was going to get nothing done today with the princess pestering him the whole time, and the look on his face said he would rather be doing anything than tutoring her on the management of his colony that day. But there was nothing the lord could do except watch as Gwailin started talking animatedly to Legolas as the two exited the dining hall.

* * *

"You are insufferable."

"I love you too," Gwailin said, smiling up at Legolas, her head resting on his bare chest. He sighed, wrapping his arms around her thin frame and entwining his fingers with hers.

"You are not going to win if you continue to just sit next to me all day in my office," he said with a smile, kissing her ear. "I don't have to hide anything if we are alone."

"Don't worry, I have many other masterful plans in mind," Gwailin said mischievously. "I have only to decide what order I shall enact them. I am confident I will break you by the week's end."

"Oh my misguided princess, I noticed how Ettelea was looking at you at dinner. She is already suspicious of you. It will not be long before you are the one to break."

"You are the misguided one, my love," Gwailin replied, rolling onto her stomach and propping herself up on his chest so she could look down into his brilliant blue eyes. "To think that after all the work I put into this game I would give in when I am so close to victory."

"Victory has never been further from your grasp," Legolas said, kissing her lightly and running his fingers through her dark hair. He had never realized how much her eyes reminded him of the sea, the mixture of green and blue a reflection of the beautiful waters that he remembered from the past. He knew he would never find such beautiful eyes again if he looked for an age, and he would never find a love like hers if he searched until the stars themselves fell from the heavens.

"We shall see, my darling prince," she said with a grin, leaning forward and kissing him deeply. She relished the challenge before her. As she lay there once again with him, the stars twinkling down on them through the trees, she felt particularly evil as she thought of her next plan.

* * *

It was truly evil what Gwailin had concocted for her strategy on the second day. She knew that Legolas would be out of his office that day, and so she made a point of being wherever he was going on his errands, dressed in a simple but beautiful dress. She felt a delightful wickedness, however, as she always made sure that whenever Legolas arrived at his destination, she would be deep in an intimate conversation with a young elf with whom she had danced the night of the Festival. It was not hard, as most of them were laborers, whether out building, smithing, or gardening.

"You certainly are charming, Lendnith," she said as Legolas approached, talking to one of his advisors and Coronlir about the construction job they were working on. Lendnith, a young building assistant, had immediately stopped working when Gwailin had started talking to him. She felt slightly guilty using the enamored young elf to make Legolas jealous, but she tried her best not to lead him on, instead asking him about his work. It proved easier than she had expected, as he continued complimenting her with flowery words no matter what she said.

She glanced at Legolas as he passed, his eyes on a blueprint as he ignored her, though she was certain he had heard Lendnith's compliments and her flirtatious thanks.

By the end of the day of this, she ran into Milubor, who smiled politely as she came up to him and asked about his work in the gardens.

"Word has already reached me of your interesting activities today," he said, ignoring her question. "Would you rather know about the flowers or would it be easier to just compliment you as the Prince walks by?"

"That obvious, is it?" Gwailin asked with a sigh. She wasn't really surprised the elves had picked up on her true intention.

"We are all well aware of your mission to annoy the prince into losing his composure, including the success you had the night of the Festival." This made Gwailin smile. "I would be happy to help in exchange for a favor."

"Certainly, whatever you need," Gwailin said happily, noticing Legolas was approaching through the trees.

"I must admit, I have had an unfortunate spat with my love, Lady Gwiniel. As you are clearly attempting to make the prince jealous, I would ask if you would help me do the same. She is very much the jealous type."

"My dear friend, if it will bring your lady love back to you, I would be honored to help," Gwailin said with a laugh. She stood on her toes and kissed his cheek, just as Legolas looked up from his paperwork. "You are indeed one of the sweetest elves I have ever met."

"Thank you, my lady," Milubor said with a smile, taking her hand and kissing it gently, his eyes flickering over to the Prince as he passed, whose jaw was noticeably clenched as he listened to his advisor. As he continued away from them, Milubor added. "For everything."

"It is my pleasure. And thank you for your understanding as well," Gwailin replied with a grin, turning to watch Legolas continuing away from them through the gardens. "I do wish you luck with your lady."

Milubor nodded gratefully as Gwailin started back the way Legolas had come. She was extremely pleased with herself as she made for the dining hall, knowing dinner would soon be served, giving her the chance to hammer the final nail in the coffin.

* * *

Legolas had struggled all day maintain his composure. Whatever he expected Gwailin to do, it had not been to purposefully flirt with every young elf in the Ithilien in front of him. She was positively diabolical to go so far to win their bet. He briefly considered doing the same in reverse to get her back, but that seemed like a disaster waiting to happen. He would then have a hoard of heartbroken ladies to deal with, which he felt was probably worse than watching his love flirt with others. At least he knew she only did it to spite him, not because she had a genuine interest.

It was with this last comforting thought firmly in mind that he entered the dining hall. He paused briefly before walking determinedly to an empty table, ignoring the jealousy he felt rising in him at the moment.

Gwailin had outdone herself. She had somehow coerced nearly every available male in the settlement to sit at her table, laughing as they listened to her tell stories over dinner. As he sat down, glancing up at the group once more, he was shocked and more than a little irate that Haloneth was among them, sitting across from Gwailin as she talked animatedly, gesturing wildly as she spoke of some past exploit. The fact that Milubor sat to her left, leaning on his elbow as he listened with a smile on his face, made Legolas grit his teeth, looking down at his plate as he started piling it with food.

"Are you alright, my lord?"

"Yes, I am quite well," he responded, smiling up at Coronlir as the elf sat across from him. "Where is your wife this evening?"

"She will be here shortly. She had to change after sewing up an injured hand this evening."

"What happened?"

"A young elfling playing with his father's sword, as usual," Coronlir said with a smile. "No real harm done. It is not the first nor the last time she will have to tend injuries of the sort." Coronlir paused before continuing in a more serious tone. "What happened the other night? I saw neither you nor her highness return after you led her away."

"I cannot vouch for the princess's whereabouts, but I returned to my quarters," Legolas said evenly. "I was far too stressed to enjoy the Festival any longer, and I did not want my bad mood to rub off on those who were enjoying themselves."

"I am sorry you were so distresses, my lord," Coronlir said sympathetically. "I had not realized your relationship with Gwailin was so strained."

"It is an exhausting one, if nothing else," Legolas sighed, watching Gwailin laughing out of the corner of his eye. "We are so dissimilar it is not surprising that we clash so frequently."

"If I may be frank," Coronlir said, smiling as his wife appeared and sat beside him. "I am surprised that you do not get along better than you do. After observing what she is truly like, I thought your personalities would balance each other well."

"Are we talking about Princess Gwailin?" Windiel asked with a smile. "Then I must agree with Coronlir. No disrespect, Prince Legolas, but she does have a point, trying to get you to enjoy yourself more. I know the War was hard on you, but surely you can find some joy in your life again."

"Someday perhaps," Legolas said, fighting the urge to look at the object of the new joy in his life. "For now I am content staying busy with my work."

"It is such a shame," Windiel said, glancing around at Gwailin as she let two elves take her arms and lead her out of the hall. "When I heard that a princess would be joining us here, I had such high hopes for the two of you."

"You are not the only one," Legolas said with a smile. He could only imagine what his father was going to say when he heard about his son and the princess. The bet couldn't go on forever, and Legolas was certain that when his father heard the news, there would be a great celebration in Eryn Lasgallen that night.

* * *

"I am surprised at you, Legolas," Haloneth said, standing next to the prince's desk later that evening. "Coronlir said you were quite open this evening, talking about Gwailin."

"She had been irritating me all day," Legolas said without looking up. "I had to get my frustrations off my chest."

"He said you spoke of marriage. I would think you would defiantly state that it was never a possibility."

"I have had an exhausting couple of days, Haloneth," Legolas replied, still focused on his work. "I can only muster so much distain at this point."

"You should not have to muster any distain at all," Haloneth said, his voice full of disapproval. "I see she is quite irritating at times, but you get irritated by the smallest things she does. Not everything is done just to get on your nerves."

"The vast majority of her actions suggest otherwise," Legolas said tartly, thinking about her behavior earlier that day. "I noticed you were aiding and abetting her as she rounded up all the available elves in the kingdom to sit and fawn over her."

"You almost sound jealous," Haloneth said, raising an eyebrow scornfully. "I thought you'd be happy she was leaving you alone for a change."

"I do not get jealous," Legolas said, feeling ridiculous saying it considering how clear it was to himself that this was a flat out lie. "And I am only warning you from encouraging her."

"Whether you get jealous or not, that was clearly her intention today. All of the elves at her table knew she was only trying to bait you."

"It is slightly troubling to think that so many know of these intentions and yet they still encourage her," Legolas said, looking up finally. "Have they no respect for me anymore?"

"They do it out of respect for you," Haloneth said, making Legolas snort in disbelief. "They just want to see you happy."

"Yes, everyone wants to see me happy," Legolas said, putting some bitterness in his voice for effect. "Do they not think I am capable of finding it on my own?"

"Based on the way you have buried yourself in work over the last ten years, no, I do not think they find you capable at all."

"That is most unfortunate," Legolas said, closing his logs for the night. "I shall have to rectify the issue after I am finished dealing with my most recent dilemma. Goodnight, Haloneth."

"Goodnight, my lord," Haloneth replied as Legolas turned down the hallway to his private quarters.

The prince paused in surprise as he opened his bedroom door, finding Gwailin lying under the covers in his bed, a book in her hand and a smile on her face as she looked up at him.

"Good evening, my lord," she said pleasantly, putting the book on the bedside table. "How was your day?"

"Delightful," he said with a smile, determined not to let her win even this small conversation after how she had behaved that day. "And yours?"

"Absolutely wonderful," she said, watching him move around the room as he prepared for bed. "You have such charming and handsome elves in this realm."

"Indeed?" Legolas asked, taking off his boots. "I am glad you are enjoying their company."

"Fine, I will let you win this one," Gwailin said with a laugh, unable to keep her composure any longer as she sat up and pulled her knees to her chest, watching Legolas take off his tunic. "But you were so close to snapping earlier. It was glorious. I was half tempted not to come this evening to see what happened."

"You know that I would be climbing up your balcony before the night was through," Legolas said, bending over to plant a kiss on her lips as he made to get into bed next to her.

"So are you ready to admit defeat yet?" she asked as he joined her under the sheets, taking her into his arms and kissing her neck.

"It has only been two days," Legolas said, continuing to trail kisses across her soft flesh. "You will have to wait much longer than that before I break."


	9. Chapter 9

_Again, suggestive content. Anyway, enjoy!_

* * *

Though he couldn't use the same tactics Gwailin had used, Legolas found a way to get her back for her cruelty. As usual, Gwailin came prancing up to him at breakfast, sitting down close to him happily. Unfortunately for her, Ettelea had joined her that morning.

"Good morning Ettelea," Legolas said with a smile, ignoring Gwailin. "I have not seen you in several days. How are you?"

"Quite well, my lord," she said, returning the smile. "And yourself?"

"I have my complaints, but who doesn't?" he said in a not-so-subtle reference to the princess beside him. Feeling particularly adventurous, Legolas decided to unleash the floodgates. "As my conversation the other night with your princess does not seem to have sunk in at all, I still have to pretend like I tolerate her. I am assuming she explained the situation to you in detail?"

"She was actually rather vague about the whole thing," Ettelea said, her brow furrowed in thought as she looked at Gwailin, who was doing her best to maintain her carefree bearing despite the realization of what was happen around her.

"Really? I was under the impression you two shared everything. It was quite a heated discussion. I assumed she would be delighted to share every detail with you after the fact."

"Interesting," Ettelea said, a suspicious look on her face as she looked at Gwailin, who was trying to show a great deal of interest in her toast. Legolas felt incredibly pleased with himself as he stood to depart.

"It was nice chatting with you, Ettelea. Have a good day."

"And you, Prince Legolas," she said, smiling at him before her eyes returned to Gwailin.

As he departed, Ettelea glared at Gwailin.

"He is right. You tell me everything, and you barely spoke about the other night. Why the change? You should have been ecstatic, unable to contain your excitement at having successfully made him finally break down under your attacks. Tell me what happened."

"I did tell you," Gwailin said, trying to make it sound like it was not a big deal. Silently, she cursed Legolas. He was more cunning than she gave him credit for. After all she put him through, she should have known he would retaliate.

"With vague words and generalizations," Ettelea replied, leaning forward with her elbows on the table. "What are you hiding?"

"Nothing," Gwailin said innocently, still avoiding Ettelea's gaze, which just added to the other elleth's suspicion.

"Don't give me that. I know you far too well to be put off by such protests. You may be my princess, but I will put you in a headlock until you spill if I have to." Gwailin looked up at this, surprised to hear such forceful words from Ettelea, usually the cheerful pleasant type.

"Did you switch places with Irima without telling me?" she asked in response to the threat.

"Don't change the subject," Ettelea said pointing her finger menacingly at Gwailin. "We are as close as sisters, and I will not have you keeping secrets. I will not leave you alone until you tell me."

Ettelea honored her threat. She followed Gwailin all day, no matter what the elleth did to dissuade her. Gwailin rarely saw this side of her friend, but that was why she had been chosen to accompany the princess to battle in the first place. She was a wonderful companion in peace time, but when given a mission, she would not let up for anything. Unfortunately for Gwailin, that now meant being hounded by the elleth ceaselessly.

"I think I will retire early tonight," Gwailin said, tired of being harassed. "Goodnight Ettelea."

"I am not giving up!" the other elleth said as Gwailin disappeared down the hall to her room. Of that, Gwailin was certain.

* * *

Ettelea couldn't sleep. She couldn't fathom why Gwailin was hiding something from her. It was not like she had ever been afraid to say what was on her mind. Even in humiliation, Gwailin had been able to talk to Ettelea about it fairly easily. Frustrated, knowing she wouldn't sleep with this mystery hanging over her, Ettelea climbed out of bed, not caring if she woke Gwailin so long as answers were forthcoming.

"Gwailin?" Ettelea said softly, knocking lightly on the door. When she didn't hear anything, she tried again, louder. "Gwailin? May I come in?" With no answer, thinking that Gwailin would just ignore her even if she was awake, Ettelea opened the door. She was surprised to see that the covers were thrown back on the bed, and the princess was nowhere to be seen.

"What is going on?" Ettelea said in frustration, shutting the door and going to make herself some tea, intent on sitting up contemplating possibilities until she fell asleep.

* * *

Legolas walked through the Ithilien, enjoying the cool summer night air. It was a bright, cool night, and he could see clearly thanks to the starlight. He reached the banks of the Anduin, and his eyes immediately noticed a ring of stars reflecting off the dark, damp hair of his princess. He then noticed the discarded clothing in a heap beside a rock on the shore.

"You know, this is a fairly common place for elves to visit, day or night," he said, stopping on the riverbank and smiling down at Gwailin as she turned around in the water, only her head and shoulders above the water.

"Is there a point to your statement, my lord?" she said evenly.

"Perhaps you should not so recklessly discard your clothing." He took a seat on the shore, crossing his legs as he leaned forward, elbows resting on his knees.

"Perhaps I do not care," Gwailin replied, her mischievous smile growing as she swam towards him slowly. "Though I will care if you do not join me for a swim, my lord."

"I am afraid I must decline," he said, watching her lay on her stomach in the shallows, her torso half submerged in the water as she curled a leg up behind her, one foot leaving the water. The water reflected the starry sky above, hiding her lower half under the surface.

"You did promise to swim with me."

"I think your memory is faulty, my lady. I made no such promise."

"You said you would see if you were not busy. You do not appear busy to me," she said, eyes shining as she pushed herself up farther, getting closer but still letting the water hide most of her body.

"I am busy," he said with a dazzling smile. "I am busy observing the most radiant beauty my eyes have ever seen. Not even the stars above can compare to the way her light shines this night."

"You speak such sweet words, my prince," Gwailin said, biting her bottom lip flirtatiously. "One must wonder if they are spoken just to tease."

"Never," Legolas whispered, leaning forward more and capturing her lips in a deep kiss. He felt her wet hand reach up and cup his cheek as she moved further into the kiss. Abruptly, she broke away. When he opened his eyes, it was just in time to see her toes disappear beneath the surface of the water. She reappeared on the far side of the river, treading water as her eyes met his once more.

"Why do you flee from me, my love?" he asked, seeing her mouth curve once more into a smile.

"I do not give my love out so easily, my lord. You must work for it."

Legolas smiled, removing his boots and rising to his feet. Moments later, he dove into the water, leaving his own clothes in a pile beside Gwailin's. Gwailin smiled widely, until she gasped, suddenly pulled under the water by her ankle. Resurfacing, she looked around to see Legolas just behind her, standing chest deep in the water with a grin on his face.

"If you are allowed to tease me so, than I shall tease you," he said, reaching out grabbing her wrist, pulling her through the water towards him, bring her up into another kiss, their bodies pressed close together as his arms wrapped around her waist and hers around his neck. The starlight shimmered brightly on their damp bodies, adding to the glow that seemed to radiate from their own souls as the two lovers embraced under the night sky.

* * *

"Ettelea will not leave me be anymore thanks to your meddling," Gwailin said, gently pushing Legolas as the two walked back to the village, excess clothing and boots in their hands. "She is determined to hear my story."

"I am glad to hear that I will soon be winning," Legolas teased softly, kissing the tip of her ear. "I knew you would break first."

"Not so fast, my lord. I still have plans for you."

"Dare I ask?"

"You shall find out soon eno-"

Legolas quickly put his hand over her mouth, pulling her close to him as he quickly hid behind a large tree trunk. Looking around it carefully, he watched as a guard walked slowly home after being relieved of his late night shift. It wasn't until he disappeared amongst the trees at the edge of the settlement that Legolas released Gwailin, but not without first kissing her neck gently.

"That was quite close, melamin," Legolas said, taking her hand and leading her quietly through the village, trying to keep to the shadows.

"Is this not thrilling? Such stealth and secrecy?" Gwailin whispered back, giggling softly. "I feel like an elfling again, sneaking out at night to climb into the eyries."

"Why do I doubt such behavior stopped when you reached adulthood?" Legolas whispered back, looking at her with a smile before pulling her quickly across a well-lit clearing to his balcony. Upon reaching the shadows again, Gwailin just gave Legolas a quick kiss before pulling herself up the nearby tree and climbing lightly into his room. Legolas swiftly followed, both elves feeling a sense of victory at having made it all the way back without being caught. Their wet clothes were quickly discarded on the floor as they crawled into bed, needing only the starlight to find each other once more.

* * *

"Where were you last night?"

"Pardon?" Gwailin asked, pausing as she prepared to go leave for breakfast.

"I went to talk to you last night and you weren't there," Ettelea said accusingly.

"I went for a swim," Gwailin replied with a shrug. "I had the urge to swim under the stars." Ettelea narrowed her eyes, looking at the princess closely, trying to determine if she was lying. But Gwailin met her gaze steadily, smiling lightly. "Do you want to see my damp clothes as proof?"

"No," Ettelea said with a sigh. "But you could have asked if I wanted to go."

"Sorry, I figured you were asleep," Gwailin said, starting to walk away again. "Are you coming to breakfast?"

As usual, Legolas was already at breakfast by the time Gwailin and Ettelea arrived.

"Good morning!" Gwailin said cheerfully, taking her spot next to him and kissing his cheek. Ettelea sat across from him next to Lord Haloneth, greeting both of them pleasantly.

"You are surprisingly cheerful," Legolas said evenly, not looking at her. Puzzled, Gwailin looked over at him with a raised eyebrow.

"Why would I not be cheerful? Unlike you, my lord, I am a naturally happy person."

"I assumed you would be a little put out after last night," he said cryptically. This only confused Gwailin more.

"What are you talking about?"

"I suppose it is too painful to talk about, but I am sure Ettelea would love to hear-" he was cut off as Gwailin kissed him full on the mouth, suddenly realizing what he was up to. He was trying to get Ettelea to ask about the previous night, knowing that Gwailin could not keep it a secret if she was forced to give out details. If he was going to fight dirty, so was she. It took all of his willpower to break away from her, glaring as best he could as she smiled up at him.

"What was that for?" he asked angrily, though he was quite pleased with himself and with how she had decided to silence him. He could tell that he was going to pay for his words, however.

"Showing you that I am not at all upset," she said with a wicked grin. "But you will be."

"Do tell," he said, raising his eyebrows at her.

"Oh no, you are just going to have to wait and see," she kissed him once more before standing, grabbing an apple before skipping off, undoubtedly to make more cunning plans.

"What was that?" Haloneth asked, stunned by the interaction he had just witness. Legolas just shrugged, deciding he better go hide while he still had the chance before Gwailin descended upon him.

When he had disappeared, Haloneth and Ettelea exchanged a look.

"Do you have any idea what's going on?" he asked her, brow furrowed.

"No idea, but I can assure you, I will be finding out," Ettelea said, her face set in determination. Whatever was going on, it was not going to be a secret for much longer.

* * *

Convinced she was not going to get a straight answer out of Gwailin, Ettelea decided to keep a close eye on her instead of pestering her about what had happened at breakfast. Nothing during the day seemed out of the ordinary. Gwailin followed the prince around chatting cheerfully, frequently clinging to his arm or kissing his cheek. He just ignored her presence, though she could tell his entire being was tense even when he spoke calmly to those around him.

After dinner, Ettelea said goodnight to the princess before settling herself on her own balcony, watching Gwailin's from the shadows. If she went out for another uncharacteristic nighttime stroll, Ettelea wanted to know about it. So as soon as she saw Gwailin leap down from her bedroom at about an hour after dark, she stood quietly, following her into the village.

It was with no small amount of surprise that she watched Gwailin climb up onto the veranda outside Legolas's quarters, quickly disappearing inside, where a soft light glowed, indicating that the room was not vacant. When no shouts or arguing could be heard for several minutes, and Gwailin failed to reemerge, Ettelea made up her mind.

* * *

_Clichéd? Incredibly. Do I care? Not even slightly. I was thinking about all the fanfictions I used to read on Quizilla way back in the day when I wrote this, so this is my homage to those painfully cheesy stories. I wince reading some of the ones I wrote back then..._


	10. Chapter 10

_I've been working on other stories and realized I am almost to the point where I stopped writing this story. Hopefully I'll get enough done that I can post the next few chapters on time. No promises, but I'll try. After watching the Hobbit Fan Event online, I find myself wanting to do nothing but write my new Thranduil story (I'll start posting it around the release of Desolation of Smaug if anyone is interested). Anyway, enjoy!_

* * *

"You think you are so clever, don't you?" Gwailin said, sitting upright in Legolas's bed with a sheet wrapped around her. "Too bad for you, Ettelea didn't ask me anything about last night."

"Just wait. She will start asking you about it soon enough."

"Not if I make you break first," she said, watching him walk around the room in just his leggings, reading a letter he had received from his father earlier in the day.

"You have failed thus far, my lady. You will have to try much harder if you wish to make me crumble."

They both looked up abruptly at a sharp knock on the door. Legolas turned back to Gwailin as he heard a thump. She had apparently rolled out of the bed quickly, taking the sheet with her.

"That's not suspicious at all," he said, giving a half smile as he put down the letter and went to answer the door. He looked down in surprise as his eyes fell on Ettelea, who had her arms crossed and a sour look on her face.

"Ettelea? What can I do for you this evening?"

"I would very much like a word with Gwailin, if you don't mind," she answered tartly.

"Why are you asking me? Shouldn't she be in bed by now?"

"Generally, yes, but since I saw her climb up your balcony not five minutes ago, I have a feeling you know exactly where she is."

Legolas paused at this, eyes still on Ettelea before his mouth slowly curled into a smirk.

"I guess this means I win," he said matter-of-factly.

"You most certainly do not!" Gwailin said, sitting up and looking over the edge of his bed at the two elves in the doorway, still wrapped in the sheet. "I did not say a word to her."

"But she is here nonetheless," Legolas said, turning around to look at her. "So I win."

"That's not how it works," Gwailin argued. "It was only if I told her."

"If you two don't mind, I would like a word with the princess for a moment," Ettelea said, looking between them angrily. Legolas just held the door open, gesturing for her to enter before he slipped out, closing the door behind him.

"What can I do for you this evening, Ettelea?" Gwailin said pleasantly, still sitting on the floor as the other elleth raised an eyebrow at her, arms still folded across her chest.

"Care to explain this?" she said, gesturing at the room in general.

"Um, not really," Gwailin said, looking guilty. "I will lose the bet."

"So the reason you two have been acting strange for the last few days is because of a bet?" Ettelea asked, trying not to explode in anger. "What was the bet? Whichever one of you spilled the beans about your love affair lost?"

"Sort of," Gwailin said, unable to keep the news to herself now that she was being directly questioned about it. "If I told you about it, I lost. If he broke down in public, then he lost."

"When did this start?"

"The night of the Festival. When Legolas took me aside, he kissed me and told me he loved me, so instead of going back to the party, we came here instead." Gwailin looked incredibly guilty as she confessed this, but it was liberating to know she no longer had to hide the truth from her best friend.

"Based on the fact that you are sitting on the floor wrapped in a sheet, I think it is safe to assume that you slept together?"

"Yes," Gwailin said, turning a light shade of pink. "I know you don't approve, but I really do love him. I mean, you saw what he looked like when he walked out of here. Doesn't he just make you melt?"

"I'm a little too perturbed to notice at the moment," Ettelea said. She had in fact noticed how toned Legolas looked without a tunic on, but she wasn't going to let Gwailin off the hook. "Did you even stop to think what your father is going to say when he finds out?"

"He is going to throw a fit, I know," Gwailin said, resting her arms on her knees. "But there is nothing he can do about it now. Legolas and I are bound together for eternity."

"This is too much," Ettelea said, rubbing her forehead with a sigh. "I never would have imagined you'd take it this far. Just so you know, I will not be the one to tell your father about this."

"He doesn't need to know anything yet. Once we are engaged, I will send Melhir to both the Rhun and Eryn Lasgallen to tell my father and King Thranduil. Then he can come here himself and yell at me all he wants."

"You can be sure he will do that," Ettelea said, walking towards the door. "Don't expect me to come to your defense."

"I don't," Gwailin replied as Ettelea opened the door, finding Legolas standing just down the hall, his arms folded across his chest as he looked up at the open door.

"She's all yours," Ettelea said, walking down the hall past him. "I hope you know what you are getting yourself into." She disappeared around the corner, leaving him with that cryptic warning as he returned to his room, shutting it behind him.

"I win," he repeated as soon as he entered, watching Gwailin climb back onto the bed.

"I hate to burst your bubble, my lord," Gwailin replied. "But if we are getting technical, I do believe I won. You broke first, showing affection for me in public."

"It is not public if it is in my bedroom," he said, raising his eyebrow at her as he put out the lights.

"But it was in front of Ettelea."

"She caught you first, though. It is your fault for not being sneaky."

"That wasn't part of the bet," Gwailin said, grinning as Legolas crawled on top of her, looking down at her as his blonde hair fell down to tickle her ears.

"It seems we are at an impasse, melamin," he said with a smirk. "How shall we determine a victor now?"

"I think we can come up with something," she replied. "The real question is where do we go from here?"

"What do you mean?"

"Are you going to started smiling at me in public?" she teased.

"I suppose I could," he said, sighing as if he would grudgingly do it if he had to. "Perhaps we should break it to everyone gently. Especially after the wonderful sparing we have had this week."

"If we must," she said with a smile, wrapping her arms around his neck and pulling him towards her for a long kiss.

* * *

Gwailin walked out of her room the next morning to find Ettelea waiting for her, a still slightly perturbed expression on her face.

"Are you going to stay mad at me forever?" Gwailin asked with a sigh, stopping next to her friend.

"I have thought long and hard about it," Ettelea said, eyes meeting Gwailin's. "And I just don't think I can." They both broke into smiles as they shared a hug before Ettelea let go, her eyes shining mischievously. "So tell me, is falling in love with a prince everything you expected it to be?"

"Since I never expected it," Gwailin said with a laugh, hooking arms with Ettelea before heading out the door to breakfast, "I cannot answer your question. But I can say this. Even in my dreams, I could never create a love as wonderful as his."

"I think that is the most heartfelt thing I have ever heard you say," Ettelea said with a grin. "You must really love him."

"Shocking, isn't it?"

"Of all the astounding things you have done over the years, Princess, I think to those who know you best, this will be the most surprising."

"Once again, I have managed to dumbfound the masses," Gwailin said as they both started laughing, walking into the dining hall. Catching sight of Legolas sitting with his back to her, Gwailin whispered in Ettelea's ear, "Watch this."

Letting go of her friend, she crept up to Legolas, waiting until he leaned back in his chair slightly, his arm to his side as he reached for his cup, and deposited herself on his lap. He looked at her in surprise for a moment before she leaned forward and kissed him, wrapping her arms tightly around his neck. He apparently was not willing to put up a fight, because she felt his arms wrap around her waist as he kissed her back.

When they broke apart, he just smiled up at her. "I should have known you couldn't ease into anything."

"Yes, you very well should have," she said, kissing him again before turning to look at Haloneth and a couple other advisors who were sitting across the table from her and Legolas. "Good morning my lords."

"What is going on?" Haloneth asked, eyes wide in shock at how comfortable Legolas and Gwailin looked.

"The charade is over," Gwailin said happily. "It is time you all knew."

"What charade? What is over?" he asked, sounding thoroughly confused. Ettelea walked up behind him, patting him on the shoulder comfortingly.

"For the last few days, these two have had a bet to see how long it took the rest of us to realize they were in love. They have finally decided to share their happiness with the rest of us."

"I cannot believe this!" Haloneth said, leaning forward, his meal forgotten. "How long has this been going on?"

"Since the Festival," Legolas answered simply, returning to his breakfast, one arm still wrapped around Gwailin. "I apologize for not telling you, my friend, but I could not let the princess win this one after all the suffering she put me through."

"You know you loved every minute of it," she said with a grin, kissing his temple. "You know, I still have to take you flying at some point."

"No you don't," he said without looking up from his meal. "I am perfectly comfortable on the ground."

"Come on, it will be fun! We can fly to Minas Tirith and see Aragorn and Arwen."

"I will think about it," he said, though it sounded like he had already made up his mind.

"Fine, but you may want to change your mind. If my mother comes and she hears you haven't been flying yet, you will be forced into a flying lesson with her."

The couple continued talking about the possibility of flying while those around the dining hall stared in amazement. Legolas had done such a good job convincing them that he disliked everything about Gwailin that it bordered on the bizarre to see them together now.

Despite the shock, elves quickly started coming up to the couple and offering congratulations. More than one said that they knew it was meant to be, while others said that they had never even entertained the possibility. Both prince and princess smiled and thanked them for their kind words. It was a happy day in the Ithilien, and it almost felt like a festival day, as no one seemed too keen on working when such unexpected and joyous news reached them.

"You really should let them have a day to celebrate," Gwailin said with a grin as Legolas carried her through the village, greeting the cheerful elves around them happily. "It is easy to see how much they love you and how glad they are to see you smiling again."

"Very well," he said, putting her down and kissing her forehead. "Haloneth?"

"Yes, my lord?" he said, still slightly miffed at not being privy to the secret for the last few days. "Let everyone know that we are halting everything for the rest of the day. Building, planting, smithing…everyone gets a day off."

There were cheers from the nearby elves that heard the declaration, and Haloneth smiled, departing to go tell those who were still busy that they could spend the day enjoying themselves.

"Let us bring out food and wine and music!" Gwailin said excitedly. "We shall have another party!"

* * *

The elves of the Ithilien had a merry party. Everyone gave up working and joined the impromptu celebration of their prince's happiness. Where the Midsummer Festival had been a formal, elegant affair, this party was laid-back and whimsical. Gwailin quickly removed her shoes and danced happily to the upbeat music, not caring that Legolas chose to stand nearby and just watch her with a smile. The elflings gleefully took her hands as they spun around in the village center, laughter and joyous conversation all around them.

At one point, Melhir produced a pan flute, and Ettelea pulled out a silver flute, grinning at Gwailin.

"You may have escaped singing while we were at Minas Tirith," Ettelea announced when she got Gwailin's attention. "But you shall not succeed this time. Sing for us, my lady."

There was a chorus of eager voices asking for a song, so Gwailin smiled, unable to say no.

"Oh, very well. What shall I sing?"

"You do sing Erin Rovial so well," Ettelea said, putting the flute up to her mouth. "You must grace us with your royal voice."

The two elves began playing their flutes as Gwailin began singing, her voice blending harmoniously with the enchanting music of her kin. It was a song of freedom, of sailing on the winds to far off lands with a joyous heart.

Her song was well received, the assembled elves clapping enthusiastically as she finished, calling out their praise and asking for another song.

"Ettelea is much more gifted at singing than I am," Gwailin said, shaking her head. "It is her turn to sing. I shall play the flute." The Kindi graced their woodland kin with a series of merry songs, some of which Gwailin managed to dance to even while playing the flute. Ettelea quickly gained a throng of admirers, and she spent much of the late afternoon chatting amicably with them. Gwailin managed to escape any more songs, taking a seat on Legolas's lap as she finished, slightly out of breath from all the music and dancing. Other elves started playing instruments as she kissed him lightly, glad to have a break from her frivolity.

"This is how I imagined you would be at the Midsummer Festival," Legolas said, taking her hand and kissing it gently. "Whereas there it would have irritated me, I find myself instead enchanted by your grace and joyful charm this evening."

"Before the night is out, you will join me for a dance," Gwailin said happily. "I am glad to see you smiling, but you have mostly just sat over here talking all afternoon."

"I had a wonderful view of your dancing and singing from here, melamin," he teased. "You cannot blame me for being too wrapped up in watching you shine to think of anything else."

"Again with the shameless flattery, my lord," she said with a laugh. "It is amazing that a tongue graced with such fine speech was not so long ago capable of having a scathing battle of wit and words."

"You bring out the best and worst in me, Princess," he said, giving her a kiss. "And I know you are very pleased with yourself for that."

"Indeed I am," she said with a laugh. "One of my finer qualities."

"You have so many of them already," Legolas said, running his fingers through her dark hair. "I cannot count them all."

"You really need to stop that," Gwailin said humorously, punching his shoulder lightly. "I am already a very arrogant person; there is no need for you to add to the problem."

"I only speak the truth."

"You are such a liar," Gwailin said, but she smiled as she met his lips once more. It was clear to the elves around them that the two were very intimate, despite the short time together. It was unusual for such blatant public displays of affection to be seen in their culture, but since they had grown so use to Gwailin over the weeks she had been in the Ithilien, it did not seem so surprising. Most were just thrilled to see happiness in the Prince's eyes once more.


	11. Chapter 11

**_*Important Notice*_**

_This is it folks. I've been working on my new Thranduil story for the last week (I have 35 pages in word completed, which is about seven chapters), so this is all I've written so far. Even I don't know exactly where this is going to go. There's no method to the madness. So if you have any suggestions (not major plot points obviously, I have that largely in mind; I needed some vague direction to go in), I'd love to hear them. If I like your idea, I may include it somewhere. I haven't published a story in a while that I wasn't several chapters ahead on writing, so I thought some reader input might be fun. Send me your ideas in a review or private message. I know, this really isn't all that important, but I wanted you to read this anyway. I hope to hear from some of you! Enjoy!_

* * *

"We need to tell your father, Gwailin."

"What he doesn't know won't hurt him."

"But it will hurt the rest of us when he finds out."

"Relax, I will talk to Legolas. I am not letting my father know until after we are betrothed."

"You better get on that, because I am starting to get paranoid he is going to arrive out of nowhere and rain his fury down on us."

Gwailin raised her eyebrow at Ettelea as they sat in the village center together, enjoying the summer sun shining on them through the trees. It had been a week since Gwailin and Legolas's impromptu celebration party, and although they had kept relatively busy, Ettelea had started showing her increasing anxiety whenever they had a moment to themselves.

"Why would he show up here? For all he knows, I'm still on my diplomatic mission to learn about the cultures around Middle Earth."

"When was the last time you sent him a message?"

"I don't know, when we got to Minas Tirith?" Gwailin said with a shrug. Ettelea sighed, rolling her eyes. "He is use to me being airheaded and forgetting to send messages. Don't worry about it."

"But has Melhir been sending messages back?"

Gwailin paused. She really had no idea what Melhir was up to. He only seemed to be around when he was needed, and he was rarely hanging around the village during the day. "Where is Melhir anyway?"

"I think he is up in the mountains with the eagles," Ettelea replied, leaning back on the stairs she occupied outside the main hall. "Perhaps we should talk to him."

Gwailin didn't reply, she just stood up and let out a sharp whistle. The elves nearby—not expecting the noise—winced and looked around. For several minutes, nothing happened. After standing for about five minutes, a shadow passed in front of the sun, indicating the eagles' had arrived.

"How are you, Pan? I know I haven't spent much time with you the last few days. But I could do with a lift." The eagle just looked in her eyes silently. Gwailin smiled up at him, climbing into the saddle as Ettelea did the same to her left. Together, they lifted off, breaching the top of the trees and gliding over them towards the mountains in the distance.

The two eagles alighted on the edge of a precipice, where Melhir sat alone, a notebook and quill in his hands. He looked up as the eagles approached, his eyes quickly returning to his book when he saw Gwailin and Ettelea.

"What are you doing all the way up here?" Gwailin asked, concerned to see him writing.

"Composing," he said simply, not looking up from his writing. Curious, Gwailin walked around behind him, peering over his shoulder at the thin letters on the page.

"Wow, Melhir. All the years we've known each other, and I never knew you were a poet."

"I don't generally share my writing, so I am not surprised it escaped your notice, my lady," he said, continuing to write as Gwailin read over his shoulder. "You tend to have much grander visions of the world than my simple poems."

"That doesn't mean I wouldn't love to hear some of it," Gwailin said, sitting next to him. "You know I love all of the arts."

"Perhaps someday I will share. But what brings you up here, Princess?"

"Oh," Gwailin said, remembering her real reason for finding him. "I was wondering if you had sent a letter to my father recently.

"Yes, I sent one a few days ago. But you need not worry," he said reassuringly, noticing the fearful look that flashed across Gwailin's face. "I said nothing of Prince Legolas. I merely informed him that we are comfortable among the wood elves and will be remaining in the Ithilien for quite some time."

"Thank you Melhir," Gwailin said softly, putting a hand on his shoulder. "I know you are uncomfortable keeping secrets from the king, but hopefully soon Legolas and I will be betrothed and he can be informed. I hate to ask this of you, but would you be willing to return home to tell him the news when it does happen?"

"Certainly. I have enjoyed our travels in the west, but I do miss home. Though I have a feeling it will be a short stay when I return."

"Undoubtedly," Gwailin said with a laugh. "Father will be setting out before you are finished talking to him."

* * *

Late that night, Gwailin was lying in bed, Legolas's arm wrapped around her waist tightly. He was almost asleep when Gwailin finally spoke, her eyes focused on the trees outside his window.

"Legolas?"

"Hmm?" he asked lazily, not moving. Gwailin wasn't complaining. She felt incredibly comfortable wrapped in his arms, his well-muscled chest moving gently with his breathing against her back.

"As hard as this will be for you to believe," she said softly, a small smile gracing her lips. "I need to have a serious conversation with you."

"Are you capable of being serious?" he asked, pulling her tighter to his chest and kissing her bare shoulder gently. She sighed, loving the attention, though it was distracting her from what she needed to talk about.

"In this case, yes. We need to talk about marriage."

At this, Legolas sat up on his elbow, looking down at her with a raised eyebrow. Gwailin immediately felt the loss of his warmth on her skin, and turned her head to look up at him.

"Why the rush?" Legolas asked, his brow furrowed.

"I was talking to Ettelea today, and she made some valid points. We are bonded for eternity now, so there is no point in waiting. And if I am to tell my father, it is best that we be engaged first."

"Why is that?"

"Well," Gwailin said, trying to think of the best way to explain her father. "He is a complicated elf. Since I was born, he has done his very best to turn me into a proper princess."

"Failed miserably, I see," Legolas said with a smirk. Gwailin just grinned up at him, pushing him back down onto the bed and propping herself on his chest to continue their conversation.

"As I was saying, he wanted the perfect princess for a daughter. Unfortunately, he was forced into an arranged marriage with my mother. Unfortunate for him, anyway, because they are such completely different people. I told you my mother was even worse than I, and that is true. Whereas my father is a strict, stern king, bent on having everything orderly, my mother is a carefree, jovial queen, with absolutely no interest in rules or protocol. To his dismay, I took after her. But the problem is that he has been trying to arrange a marriage for me for centuries. I have successfully scared off every suitor he has brought before me, but he is still determined to find one. The fact that I chose you, and you are not of the Kindi, will certainly not go over well."

"Which is why you need a betrothal ring before he finds out," Legolas finished, recognizing the seriousness of the situation. "What will happen when he does find out?"

"Unbridled fury, lots of shouting, and a good deal of threats, I imagine," Gwailin said with a sigh. "But it will be much harder for him to protest if we are already arranged to be married."

"If that's what it takes, I will talk to a jeweler tomorrow," Legolas said with a smile, brushing Gwailin's long dark hair behind her ear. "Angry king or no, I want nothing more than to marry you."

"How things have changed in just a few weeks," Gwailin said with a grin. "Two weeks ago, you would have loved for my father to have come and removed me from your life."

"You know I never really felt like that, as much as you irritated me. You were right when you said I would desperately miss those days of us arguing endlessly."

"Once we wed, we will be able to continue arguing incessantly until the end of Arda." Gwailin leaned forward and kissed him passionately, letting him pull her closer once more, one hand massaging the soft skin on the small of her back as the other drew circles on her neck, just below her ear. The kiss continued for some time, until finally Legolas broke away, looking up into his lover's sea-green eyes.

"It will be interesting to see how your father's reaction will compare to my father's," he said with a half-smile. "He already adores you, and will probably ride south immediate upon hearing the news to congratulate us in person."

"Then I shall look forward to King Thranduil's visit with enthusiasm. Do you think we could get away with just telling him?"

"I think your father would question why you have not returned home after the first couple decades or so," Legolas said, amused.

"It wouldn't be the first time I ran away from home."

"Oh?"

"When I was only about thirty, I started flying lessons. Not long after that, I decided that I no longer wanted to be a princess, and flew off to the other side of the Sea. I was gone for nearly a month before someone found me."

"Why does that not surprise me?" Legolas asked, caressing her cheek with a smile.

"Because you, my lord, know me so well," Gwailin said, returning her lips to his.

* * *

The elven village was too small to have its own jeweler, so Legolas decided to ride to Minas Tirith the day after talking to Gwailin about marriage. Briefly, he had considered going on his own, but since she was well aware that he intended to ask her for her hand, he saw no reason to exclude her from the trip. They departed not long after sunrise, and soon they were racing through the forest, enjoying their time together in a remarkable contrast to their last trip to the White City.

"You are far too use to riding your eagle, my lady," Legolas said merrily, galloping just in front of Gwailin, who had intended to race him through the Ithilien, but found her mount not up to the challenge. While the horse beneath her was noticeably tired after just a short run, the one Legolas rode was clearly being held back from racing away at full speed.

"Someday we shall race eagles, and I shall defeat you soundly," Gwailin replied, letting her horse slow into a trot. "And I will gloat ceaselessly."

"You must first get me in the air, and that is not likely to happen soon," Legolas said, falling into step beside her. "As much as I love you, I do not trust you taking me up hundreds of feet in the air."

"Why ever not? As I said before under different circumstances, I put too much work into you to just kill you now."

"As comforting as that is," Legolas said sarcastically. "I do think I shall maintain my former opinion on the matter."

"If my mother does come when my father flies out here, as I know he will, you will have little choice in the matter. It will be completely unacceptable for us to marry without first getting you into the air."

"I will do my very best to avoid it all the same."

Upon riding in through the gates of Minas Tirith, the elves found themselves once again surrounded by Gwailin's friends. Legolas took it much better this time, smiling and greeting the men and women around him as they rode into the city.

"I know the best jeweler in the city," Gwailin said, riding close to him as they continued along the cobblestone streets. "We can visit him and then go see the King and Queen."

"Lead on, my lady," Legolas replied, letting the elleth steer them in the right direction.

They dismounted outside a small shop, Gwailin making excuses to her friends before dragging Legolas inside. As soon as the door shut behind them, a short, scrawny man appeared behind the counter.

"Princess! What brings you back to my humble shop?"

"Greetings, Adan. First of all, I wanted to thank you for your work on the eagle and circlet. They were beautifully crafted."

"Thank you for kind words, my lady," Adan said with a low bow. "I got a great deal of enjoyment out of working on them, I must admit."

"I am sure you did," Gwailin said pleasantly. "I am afraid this new request will not be as fun."

"What do you need?"

"I would like to request a set of rings," Legolas said, stepping forward and taking charge. "Plain silver bands."

"I see," Adan said, a smile on his face. He clear understood the meaning of the request. "Come into the back and we can talk details."

* * *

After finishing in Adan's shop, Legolas and Gwailin rode up to the Citadel. Adan had agreed to have the rings done that day, so the elves decided to spend their free time with the king and queen. As they entered the Citadel, they found Aragorn talking with advisors. He smiled at them as he finished his conversation, walking towards them as the other men departed.

"This is a surprise. What are you both doing here? And together?"

"We had business with Adan the jeweler," Gwailin said pleasantly, smiling at the king. He raised his eyebrows at her, glancing between the two elves.

"And what business did you with a jeweler?"

"Gwailin said he was the best jeweler in the city, and we needed the best to make the rings."

"Rings?" Aragorn asked, his surprise growing as Legolas pulled Gwailin closer to him. "Are you serious?"

"Of course," Legolas said, with a smile. "Soon, Gwailin and I will be engaged."

"I don't know what to say, but congratulations," Aragorn said, his confusion clear. "This is very unexpected."

"That has been the general consensus," Gwailin said with a laugh. "Tell me, where is Arwen? I will go tell her the news."

"She is in the gardens, I believe." The princess gave Legolas a kiss before disappearing through a side door to go find Arwen, leaving Legolas with the king.

"This is all rather sudden," Aragorn said with a frown. "Have you thought this through? It was less than a month ago when you were here and wanted nothing more than to escape from her."

"Irritating as she is sometimes," Legolas said with a smile. "I love her very much. Though I admit an engagement may be a bit sudden, it is necessary."

"Why is that?"

"Gwailin tells me that as soon as her father hears the news, he will come to the Ithilien to try to stop it. If we are engaged, it shall be more difficult for him to protest."

"This seems like a bad idea, Legolas," Aragorn cautioned. "Without King Oiotar's blessing, your lives together could start off quite unhappily."

"The king may be opposed to a union, but she assures me the Queen will be quite happy. And you know my father will be beside himself with excitement at the prospect of a wedding."

"It is your life, Legolas, but this seems uncharacteristically reckless of you. Perhaps you have been spending too much time with Gwailin."

"It is entirely possible," he replied with a smile. "But I enjoy every minute of it, and that is what matters. Even when I was trying to avoid her, I was enjoying life more since she came into my life than I have since the War. I cannot have a dull life with her around."

"That I cannot argue with," Aragorn said with a half smile. "Well, if you are sure about this, then I will wish you luck with your lives together. You will have some interesting years ahead of you, I have no doubt."

* * *

Legolas appeared to have misplaced his beloved. After a lengthy conversation with Aragorn, he had sought her out. But Arwen said she had departed quite some time earlier to visit friends, and that the Queen had been instructed to tell Legolas if he were to come looking for her to wait in the Citadel. She promised to return later that evening. As Arwen explained this, her face was adorned with a radiant smile. It was easy to see why she was considered among the fairest of the eldar. She clearly did not share the same uneasiness as Aragorn about the union of her friends.

Trusting that Gwailin would be doing something he had no interest in knowing about, let alone partaking in, he decided to dine with the king and queen before enjoy the solitude of the gardens for the afternoon. He wandered aimlessly for some time, before he came up on the spot where he had first exchanged words with Gwailin after the march on the Black Gate. He smiled at the memory. Yes, he had thought the Kindi rash and foolish, but there was logic to their celebration. Life was a gift, and where there was still life there should only be joy. His own life would be filled with joy upon his engagement to the princess, but he had no illusions as to what other emotions he would face at her hand: anger, irritation, jealousy, and no small amount of exhaustion.

As he stood, staring at the spot where she had sat with her kin, he remembered their celebration of the lives of their friends who had fallen. He still recalled her laughter and merriment at the time, and it made him smile. He knew exactly what to do when she returned.

* * *

_Remember, send me your suggestions! I'll be sure to acknowledge your contributions if I include your ideas._


	12. Chapter 12

_Chapter 12, notes at the end. Enjoy!_

* * *

"Good evening, Gwailin. Where have you been all day?"

"I promised to have a drinking contest with Onon last time I was in the city. I could not disappoint him."

"I take it you won?" Arwen asked, smiling at the princess, who had a light flush in her cheeks. It was clear she had downed copious amounts of alcohol, though she was still able to walk fairly straight. If she had any inhabitations to begin with, they would have long ago disappeared.

"Of course! I out drank Onon and his three best drinkers combined. I think I will be a little tipsy for a while, but it was worth it."

"I hope so. Legolas is looking for you. He expected you back earlier. He is waiting for you out on by the White Tree."

"Ah, yes, I suppose he is eager to return to the Ithilien. Thank you, my lady, for your hospitality."

"You are always welcome in our home, Princess," Arwen said, smiling warmly as Gwailin turned quickly, staggering slightly before making her way towards the exit. The queen shook her head as she watched the inebriated elleth disappear out of the hall.

Gwailin was not so far gone that she was unable to navigate the halls on her own and find her way to the White Tree. At the far end of the Citadel battlements stood a solitary figure. Legolas, waiting for her to return to him so they could ride back to the forest. The cool breeze that rushed across the garden helped to sober her up slightly as she made for the prince. When she reached him, she wrapped her arms around his waist, resting her cheek on his back.

"Did you enjoy your day, my lady?" he asked, standing still, eyes still gazing out across the city towards Pelennor Fields.

"Immensely," Gwailin said with a smile. "I apologize for taking so long. I know you probably wanted to leave several hours ago."

"Never mind that," Legolas said, turning to face her. Looking down at her, his brow furrowed. "Gwailin, are you drunk?"

"Certainly not!" she said, rather offended. "I don't get drunk. I am slightly tipsy, is all."

"Drinking contest?" he asked wearily, though he smiled, running a thumb across her warm, pink cheek.

"I won," she said happily. "I must smell dreadful though, after all the beer I consumed."

"Well, this is not exactly how I planned this to go, but considering how the rest of our relationship has gone, I don't suppose I should have expected any less."

"What do you mean?" Gwailin asked, confused. Legolas smiled, kissing her forehead.

"Do you remember the last time we both stood here?" he asked, ignoring her inquiry.

"Of course. That was the first time I kissed you. Your face was adorable. Pure shock."

"I knew you were unpredictable, but the shock I felt was largely at how wonderful it felt to have your lips against mine," Legolas confessed, pressing his lips against her forehead again. "You were so different from anything I had ever pictured in a lover. I had never entertained such a possibility. Just your kiss made me question everything I had considered important in a wife. You were spontaneous, outgoing, absolutely infuriating and ridiculous. But also beautiful, caring, passionate, and completely in love with life. I tried to make myself angry at your impudence, but I always knew that there was something within you that would capture my heart if given the chance. Your arrival in the Ithilien sealed my fate. As soon as you stepped off of your eagle and kissed me again, I knew I would lose my heart to you. As much as I fought it, I already belonged to you."

Gwailin, already emotionally compromised thanks to her alcohol consumption, felt tears falling from her eyes at his confession. He was laying out his soul for her, the last light of the day reflected in his eyes, making them burn with a blue fire of intense and eternal passion. Her wonderful, caring, handsome prince. She would give up everything of her old life to stay with him with just one look like that. And knowing her father, she probably would. But it didn't matter, as long as they were together.

"Each day and each surprise only made me love you more. Your beauty as you strode into the dining hall that first night, dressed in pure gold, with such a regal air about you that it took my breath away. Sending Melhir to request the most bizarre foods to be prepared at the festival. Turning up after swimming in the Ithilien in only your thin, damp tunic and leggings. Dragging me here to Minas Tirith and arm wrestling a barkeep. Calling me 'hun'. Corrupting my advisor and turning up outside my quarters with the intention of raiding my closet." Gwailin smiled at each of these memories. Each one brought her a great amount of joy, thinking about how much it had irked the prince at the time, but somehow managed to convince him to love her all the same.

"And then there was the Midsummer Festival. You were illuminated by the setting sun as you descended into the hall in all your glory. I remember thinking how I had never seen your equal in any of the realms of Middle Earth. You were pure perfection as you glided across the hall, the embodiment of a princess of the sea and sky. I knew then that all my complaining and denials had been in vain. I could see nothing but you, the unlikely keeper of my heart. I had fallen so desperately in love with you, I could hardly breath. I tried so hard to keep myself from admitting it, but each elf you danced with that was not me was an arrow in my heart. Finally, I could not stand it anymore. My head finally let me see what my heart had been saying from the start. I love you Gwailin, and there was nothing I could do to stop it."

Gwailin had watched him speak with rapt attention, basking in his words of praise and love. When he paused, she took her turn to speak of her own adoration for him.

"I never expected to find love," Gwailin said softly, holding his gaze steadily. "I was too in love with myself to consider the possibility. But I will admit, seeing you take down the mumak during Pelennor Fields, I knew I had found someone that I could see as an equal. Despite your stuffy attitude and obvious distain for me, I singled you out not because you were the sole elf residing in this city, but because I sensed in you the heart of someone who could be both my equal and my opposite. You are a warrior and a leader, capable of great deeds and acts of heroism. But you are also so very different from I am in that respect. You are responsible, which I clearly am not, and you are solid, like the earth. I fly free with the wind. But since I met you," she said, taking a step closer. "Since I met you, I find myself thinking that perhaps only together can the earth and sky be what they truly are. The beauty of each comes from the comparison to the other."

"You are positively poetic when you are under the influence of alcohol, melamin," Legolas said with a smile, kissing the corner of her mouth gently. "And I cannot agree with you more. You are my other half. Apart, we are unbalanced. Together, we are stable and harmonious. Which is why I must ask you, Princess Gwailin of the Rhun," she felt her chest tighten as he reached into his tunic pocket. "Will you stay with me until the end of Arda, as my wife and my other half?" He held out two plain silver rings, shining in the fading light as Gwailin looked down at them.

"You know there is nothing I want more than to become your wife, Prince Legolas of Eryn Lasgalen. Yes, I will marry—" she didn't get to finish, as Legolas's lips met hers. Her lips still tasted faintly like the beer she had recently consumed, but it mattered not to the prince, who only wanted to feel the warmth and softness that came with kissing his lover. Somehow, as they kissed, he managed to slip one ring on her index finger, and the other on his own. With the weight on her finger, Gwailin put her arms around his neck, her fingers entwined in his golden hair as she pressed her body against his. But he had cut her off mid-sentence, and she was determined to finish her statement.

"I will marry you, Legolas," she said as she pulled away, her lips so close to his that she could feel his warm breath tickling them still. "But first, you have to fly with me." She let go of him and leapt up on the battlements, spinning around with a grin on her face. As if on cue, a giant eagle landed next to her. Pannaran folded his wings, patiently waiting for the elleth to climb into the saddle.

"Oh no," Legolas said, shaking his head. "I said I would not fly with you, and that is doubly true when you have been drinking. That sounds like an incredibly bad idea."

"Come now, it will be faster to get back to the Ithilien," Gwailin said, stepping back down and taking his hand. She stood close to him, a teasing smile on her face. "And the faster we get back to the Ithilien, the sooner I can get you alone in your bed again, my lord."

Completely undone by Gwailin's seductive voice, Legolas sighed, looking up at the eagle as Gwailin pulled him up onto the battlements.

"Will he accept multiple riders?"

"Pan is a strong bird. He can carry up to three riders, if necessary. Don't worry, Pan," she said softly. "It is only a short trip, this time. Take us to the Ithilien." With that, she climbed up into the saddle and held out her hand. Legolas carefully took it, letting her pull him up onto the saddle behind her as the eagle abruptly dove off the battlements.

Legolas had faced many frightening things in his life, but hurtling straight towards the rooftops of Minas Tirith on the back of an eagle was among his top ten most terrifying experiences. He pulled himself close to Gwailin, holding her tightly around the waist as Pannaran opened his wings and began gliding over the city. It was unequal to anything Legolas had ever felt before. The wind rushed in his ears, his eyes wide in wonder as he watched the land below them get farther and farther away as Pannaran climbed into the clear sky. His wonder quickly outweighed his fear, and he rested his chin on Gwailin's shoulder, watching the earth move below them as he clung to his future bride. The weight of the ring on his finger made it so real. She was his.

"See? It's not so bad, is it?" Gwailin asked, her voice almost drowned out by the rushing wind.

"This part is not," he admitted, kissing her cheek lightly. "But I do ask that you not try any special stunts while I am here. I do not think I would survive such thrills."

"I promise not to do anything crazy," Gwailin said, laughing. "I do not wish to become a widow before I am even married."

"You always say the most comforting things," Legolas said with a sigh, but he smiled. It was fitting to be facing such excitement and potential peril so quickly after asking Gwailin to marry him. He was certain this was going to become a routine in his life with her. It would be a constant tug-of-war. She would be pulling him to the sky and freedom, he would be pulling her to the earth and stability. Somehow, they would find balance between the two.

* * *

The prince and princess did not even bother sharing their good news with anyone when they arrived. It was after dark, and most of the elves of the Ithilien had retired to their homes for the evening. This suited the couple just fine, as they dismounted Pannaran and quickly disappeared into Legolas's quarters, where they made love until the early hours of the morning. Eventually they both drifted off from exhaustion, their limbs entwined as they embrace in peaceful slumber.

Legolas woke first, remaining still as he held his princess to his chest, her soft skin against his assuring his focus was entirely on his lover. Otherwise, he might have noticed the light streaming in through his window was not where it usually was when he woke.

An abrupt knock on his door made him jump in surprise. Gwailin was instantly awake, trying to sit up despite the strong arms keeping her firmly against the bed.

"Go away!" Legolas said loudly, refusing to let go of the elleth in his arms. Gwailin quickly gave up freeing herself, settling back down into the strong embrace that held her.

"Is everything alright, my lord?" came the muffled voice of Haloneth from the other side of the door. "No one saw you arrive last night, and it is almost midday."

"I'm fine, Haloneth," Legolas said, hiding his irritation. "I will talk to you later."

The lack of a reply indicated Haloneth had departed, leaving the two elves still curled up together under the thin sheet on Legolas's bed.

"I think perhaps you should rise and tend to your duties, my lord," Gwailin said with a smile, turning her head to meet Legolas's eyes.

"For now, the only duty I wish to tend to is the care of my beloved, beautiful princess," he said evenly. "There is nothing else that cannot wait."

"I can think of one thing that should be done fairly soon," Gwailin said, kissing his lips softly.

"What is that?"

"I must send Melhir east. It is time my father knew."

"Must you always ruin such moments with talk of your father?" Legolas asked with a sigh. "Though I suppose my own father will be furious if he is not told immediately as well."

"Melhir has already agreed to fly first to the Rhun, then to Eryn Lasgalen. He will know soon enough."

"Wonderful. You can inform him tonight at dinner. For now, you are not going anywhere."

"Am I a prisoner?" Gwailin asked, amused.

"Yes. For the next few hours, you are not leaving this bed."

* * *

When at last Legolas and Gwailin emerged, it was several hours after midday. They had barely made it a dozen steps when they were set upon by a group of elves, all talking at once.

"Enough!" Legolas commanded, holding up his hand. The elves around them all fell silent. "I apologize for the late hour, but I promise I will address all of your concerns in time. Coronlir," he said, addressing the architect who stood in the middle of the throng. "You first. What seems to be the problem?"

"I was actually hoping to speak with Princess Gwailin, if I could," he said, squeezing through the crowd to stand in front of the prince. "I am finalizing plans for the library, and was thinking of incorporating some ideas she shared with me several weeks ago. I have already recruited Lady Ettelea, but she claims that she is not well versed in construction techniques."

"I would be happy to help, Coronlir," Gwailin said, letting go of Legolas. "Please, lead on." She gave Legolas a swift kiss on the cheek before disappearing with the architect, leaving Legolas with the rest of the elves seeking his counsel.

"You would not happen to know where Melhir is, do you Coronlir?" Gwailin asked, assuming the elf was probably up in the mountains again.

"Actually, he is with Ettelea. I left them arguing about which ideas from your architecture were actually plausible in the Ithilien."

"Excellent. I shall have to rescue him from Ettelea. She can be quite hard-headed about such things."

"It is a trait I feel many of your kin share," Coronlir said with a smile. "And may I offer my congratulations. I could not help but notice the silver that now adorns your finger."

"Ah yes, thank you, mellonamin. That is the very reason I need to find Melhir. I have to share my wonderful news with my parents as soon as possible, and he has agreed to fly to the Sea of Rhun and Eryn Lasgalen on my behalf."

"Does this mean we shall be hosting the rest of the royal family soon?"

"I have no doubt in my mind that within two weeks my father and his entourage will be joining us. My mother may or may not be, depending on if she is at home when Melhir arrives. It shall be an interesting visit, that is certain."

"I look forward to meeting the king. Is he as charming as you?"

"Not even slightly," Gwailin said with a laugh, making Melhir raise his eyebrows in surprise. "While my mother is a delight, my father is stern and uncompromising. When he arrives, he will be strutting around with his chest out, a frown ever-present on his face as he stares down anyone unlucky enough to be in his way. I highly recommend you avoid him at all costs. He will be in a foul mood when he arrives."

"Do you think he will be displeased at your engagement?"

"Undoubtedly. I predict he will bring a host of eagles here, and amongst them shall be a handsome young elf whom he will charge with gaining my favor and replacing Legolas in my heart. He will not believe me when I tell him that I am in love, nor will he take our engagement as a sign that he will not break us apart. You will all bear witness to a series of heated and extremely loud arguments between us. And he will more than likely threaten Legolas."

"Why on earth would your father be so opposed to your union?" Coronlir asked, horrified.

"He wants me to marry one of the Kindi, someone he can control, and in that manner control me. He will have no power over Legolas, and will lose me in the process, as I will stay here in the Ithilien instead of returning to the Rhun."

"That is most unfortunate," Coronlir said, now dreading the arrival of the King of the Sea of Rhun. He sincerely hoped Gwailin was exaggerating.

* * *

_Hope you liked it! I have been brainstorming and have some ideas bouncing around in my head that I am looking forward to writing. I am still open to suggestions, however, so if you want to see anything in this story, send me a review or message. I think I will keep doing this story one chapter at a time, so feel free to throw out some ideas whenever they hit you. So far none of you have given me any suggestions, which makes me a little sad. I do want to thank those of you who have reviewed in the past. You guys rock! Next time, include some ideas in your reviews. Any little thing. It's a humor story, it doesn't have to make sense! Even something as silly as one of the elves walking through the Ithilien juggling teacups. I don't mind if it starts getting completely wacky. It'll be more fun if you contribute! _


	13. Chapter 13

_Brace yourselves. I might have got a little carried away writing this one...Thank you to those of you who have put in requests. I will have your ideas included in the next few chapters. Still would love to hear from the rest of my readers! Enjoy!_

* * *

Gwailin's predictions about her father's reaction to her engagement were largely accurate. By the time he arrived in the Ithilien, he had worked himself into a furious rage.

The princess was helping the gardeners care for the trees around the village several weeks after her engagement when she felt the hair on her neck stand up. She paused, listening carefully.

"Princess?" one of the elves nearby asked curiously. Gwailin didn't respond. She had experienced that feeling many, many times before. Her instincts were telling her to run. So she did.

"Legolas!" she called, catching sight of him helping Coronlir as the architect directed the construction on the library, which was about a quarter completed. The prince paused, hearing the alarm in her voice, and quickly closed the distance between them.

"What's wrong?" he asked urgently.

"He's here," Gwailin said, a slight edge of fear in her voice. "My father's coming."

"How do you know?" Legolas asked in alarm. He had been dreading this moment for weeks after hearing what Gwailin had said about King Oiotar. Her anxiety only fed his own.

"My instincts are telling me to flee, so that can only mean that he will be here any minute," she said, pulling him away from the library. "I hope you're ready for this."

"As do I," Legolas replied, his heart rate speeding up as a shadow passed overhead and an eagle landed in front of them. He felt a sense of relief to see it was only Ettelea.

"Your father will be here any minute," Ettelea said urgently, getting directly to the point. "Are you ready?"

"As I'll ever be," Gwailin said, taking a firm grip on Legolas's arm. Moments later, the sound of wings filled the air. The open village center became a patchwork of shadows as at least a dozen eagles appeared overhead, descending into the glade. "Don't let him intimidate you," Gwailin whispered in Legolas's ear. "I'm right here for support. Don't be nervous."

"I've faced trolls, Nazgul, fell beasts, wargs, a ghost king, mumakil, and hordes of orc armies, but from what you've told me, your father is worse," Legolas murmured back. "How can I not be nervous?"

Their conversation ended as the Kindi dismounted their eagles as one. The elves of the Ithilien were gathering in a ring around them, awed by the impressive sight of the eagle riders, all dressed in blue uniforms under golden armor. It looked like a war party. Which, Gwailin thought bitterly, it sort of was.

"Ada!" she said cheerfully, letting go of Legolas and approaching the nearest uniformed rider. Legolas immediately felt his anxiety grow without her standing beside him. The rider before him was unquestionably the king. His blue robes were trimmed in red, as Gwailin's royal uniform was, and his golden armor was intricately decorated with images of eagles and mountains. Elves were naturally tall, but King Oiotar was nearly a foot taller than his daughter, who was not that much shorter than Legolas. If his armor had made him intimidating, the removal of his helmet only made it worse. His long, dark hair fell down to his chest, framing his stern, angular face. His grey eyes glared icily out from under his dark, scowling eyebrows. He quickly closed the distance between himself and Gwailin, offering no greeting except a menacing scowl.

"I don't know what you think you're playing at, young lady," he said, his deep voice booming through the glade. Several onlookers winced, feeling the anger radiating from the king. Many decided that it was safer to hear about the reunion between the king and his daughter after the fact, and turned to retreat to the safety of their homes. Legolas wished he could join them. "No word from you for months! And then Melhir arrives in the middle of a council meeting to inform me that my daughter is engaged to some wood elf! You have some nerve, going behind my back like this!"

"Where is Melhir?" Gwailin asked innocently. She knew full well where he was, but was intent on diverting her father's attention if she could.

"He and your mother flew to Eryn Lasgalen shortly before we left the Sea of Rhun," the king said darkly. "Don't change the subject! Your job was to study other cultures so we could leave the mountains, not for you to find a husband! I knew you were not responsible enough for this task! You have done nothing but disobey me from the start! I will not have it! If your mother was here, I would be taking you back to the Rhun immediately. As it stands, she insists on meeting this elf of yours first. Where is he, this prince?" he spat, eyes narrowed as he looked over his daughter's head, scanning the crowd of elves. Legolas stepped forward, his jaw set as he met the king's eye squarely. He was a warrior. He would not be bullied by anyone, even if it was a king that was soon to be his father-in-law.

"King Oiotar, I am Prince Legolas of Eryn Lasgalen, Lord of the Ithilien," he said, his voice sounding stronger than he felt. "Welcome to our settlement. It is an honor to have you grace us with your presence."

"I am sure," the king said brushing past his daughter, coming to a stop in front of Legolas. Legolas rarely had to look up to anyone, but this king was probably close to seven feet tall. Still, the prince did not look away as Oiotar stared him down. "What makes you think you are at all suitable for my daughter, Prince Legolas?" His voice was almost mocking as he said 'prince', sneering down at the elf in front of him.

"I love your daughter," Legolas replied evenly. "Is that not enough?" Legolas was conscious of the fact that the king's eye twitched slightly at the last sentence, which was admittedly a little bold and condescending. He felt a resurgence of strength as he felt Gwailin's hand take his, finger's entwining tightly together as she took her place beside him once more.

"Legolas is a famous war hero, ada," Gwailin said evenly. As much as she had seemed nervous about the king's visit, she seemed quite unperturbed by his actions now. "He was a member of the Fellowship of the Ring that traveled from Imladris to take the One Ring to Mordor. He is one of the greatest archers in all of Arda, and single-handedly took down mumakil and a fell beast during the war. He is a good friend to King Aragorn of Gondor and the son of King Thranduil of Eryn Lasgalen. And I love him very much."

"Hmph," the king replied, seemingly unimpressed. "Well I would like a word with this so-called famous war hero. Sadron!" An elf stepped forward from the mass of eagles and removed his helmet. "Take the princess to her quarters while I talk with Prince Legolas."

"Yes sir," Sadron replied, bowing his head. He came forward and took Gwailin's arm, leading her away from Legolas. She gave him an apologetic look, but let herself be led away. Legolas watched her go before his eyes returned to the king.

"Shall we speak in my study?" Legolas suggested, gesturing towards the large building to his right. The king didn't reply. He turned and strutted away, leaving Legolas to follow. As the king started up the stairs, the convocation of eagles rose into the sky, leaving the riders in the village center.

Legolas directed the king into his study, and gestured for him to take a seat. To the prince's annoyance, the king chose to sit in Legolas's own chair behind his desk, leaving Legolas to sit in one of the small chairs in front of the desk. Not willing to give the King that sort of power, Legolas remained standing, his hands clasped behind his back.

"Sit," the king commanded, his stern gaze directed up at Legolas.

"If it is all the same to you," Legolas said flatly. "I would rather stand." The elves glared at each other, neither one willing to relinquish his authority to the other. Oiotar chose to ignore Legolas's refusal and got right to the point.

"You are not going to marry my daughter," he said, leaning on the desk, his fingers folded together tightly. "You are not Kindi and you are not good enough to marry her. She is a disobedient and irrational child and does not know what is best for her. I do. And you are not it."

"With all due respect, your majesty," Legolas said tartly. "I do believe she is old enough to make her own choice. It seems odd to me that you would let her lead troops into battle but not choose whom she wishes to marry."

"You do not know her like I do," Oiotar snapped, his voice rising. "She is a capable military commander, but that is as far as her responsibilities go. She is unable to muster any sort of respect or sense of duty for any other aspect of her life."

"She has demonstrated she is quite capable of responsibility while she has been in the Ithilien," Legolas countered. "Perhaps you should give her the chance to demonstrate her abilities more often."

"Don't lecture me about my own daughter, Prince," Oiotar warned him angrily. "I am far more familiar with her habits and behavior than you will ever be."

"And yet you still try to control her every move instead of letting her be herself. Are you so frustrated at being unable to control your wife that you take it out on your daughter?"

"How dare you?!" Oiotar said, standing furiously, knocking his chair backward. Legolas knew he had struck a nerve, but he refused to look intimidated. He really had spent too much time with Gwailin. Before the summer, he would have been horrified to hear such words of disrespect come out of his own mouth. He had gotten too used to addressing Gwailin with such attitude. "How dare you presume to know anything about my family and my life?!"

"Ada! Stop it!"

Legolas and Oiotar turned to see Gwailin climbing over the balcony to the study, coming to stand next to Legolas.

"I told you to stay in your quarters."

"Actually, you told Sadron to take me to my quarters. You did not tell me to stay there," she countered with a scowl to rival her father's. A vein pulsed in his neck as he glared at his daughter.

"This is your fault!" the king said, pointing furiously at Legolas. "You have turned her against me!"

"I think you did that on your own," Legolas said, glaring back at the king. For half a second, it looked like the king was going to launch himself at Legolas. The prince braced himself, ready for the attack. But Gwailin stepped in between them, putting a hand on Legolas's chest and holding her other one out at her father.

"Enough! You are a good king, ada, but you do not know what is best for me. All I want is to be happy, and Legolas makes me happy. That should be good enough for you. He does not try to change who I am, nor do I expect him to change for me. We are in love and we are going to get married, with or without your permission."

"Like hell you are," he said angrily. "Your mother can visit on her own. You are going home, and you will marry Sadron."

"I most certainly will not!" Gwailin snapped back. "I am staying here and marrying Legolas. If I must give up my title and my kinship with the Kindi, then so be it. I am not leaving."

"I will drag you back to the Rhun if I have to. You will never marry this insufferable, arrogant elf!"

"You can't do anything about it, ada," Gwailin said, lowering her voice and making the king pause. "We are already bonded."

"WHAT?!" he shouted. This time, he actually put his hand on his sword. Legolas instantly pulled Gwailin around behind him, drawing his knives. Even in the village, he never went anywhere without them, and at this moment, he was grateful for that fact. "YOU DARE TO DISHONOR MY DAUGHTER?!" Apparently words failed the king, and he just pulled his sword, moving around the desk towards Legolas, who already stood ready for a duel. This conversation was not going exactly as expected, but it wasn't too far off the mark.

"I am just as much to blame as Legolas," Gwailin said as Legolas tried to hold her back, his eyes still locked with the king's. "In fact, it is largely my fault. But I don't regret my actions and I will not apologize for loving Legolas."

"Foolish girl. You know nothing of the world," Oiotar hissed, stalking menacingly towards Legolas, who kept backing up slowly, Gwailin behind him. "This isn't love. You are only trying to rebel against me. To hurt me in whatever way you can."

"I do love Legolas," Gwailin insisted. "What if I told you that I was pregnant?"

Both elves froze, eyes wide as they turned to look at Gwailin. She stood firmly next to Legolas, unabashedly frowning at her father.

"Are you?" Legolas asked breathlessly, staring at her in awe and fear.

"No, but it got your attention, didn't it?" Legolas felt a wave of relief wash over him. He let out a breath he didn't know he was holding. His father would probably forgive his indiscretions considering the king was amused by Gwailin's spontaneity, but having a child out of wedlock was a whole different issue. And Thranduil could be just as frightening as Oiotar if he wished. "Ada, I love you and I respect you, but this is my choice. I know you must be furious if you are willing to let me marry Sadron, but I will not back down nor will I change my mind. Trust my judgment. Just once, let me make my own choice. Legolas is a beloved leader and is respected by all the races, even the dwarves. He is the only one capable of bringing me down to earth. You know that taking me to the Rhun will be a worthless gesture. I will find my way back here, even if I am forced to walk the whole way. Stomp your feet and curse me all you wish, there is no power in all the world that will keep me from marrying Legolas."

To the prince's surprise, King Oiotar lowered his blade, rubbing his forehead wearily as he sighed.

"I cannot deal with you right now, Gwailin," he said, his voice expressing his frustration.

"How was I ever cursed with such a troublesome child? I must think…" He quickly made for the door, leaving Legolas and Gwailin alone. Relief flooded through Legolas as he put his knives away before pulling Gwailin into a tight hug.

"That could certainly have gone better," he muttered with a sigh. Gwailin nodded against his chest.

"It could have been worse, too. I would not have been surprised if my father had tried to kill you."

"You could have made your point in a more gentle fashion," Legolas commented, thankful he had escaped with his life.

"I suppose," she said with a shrug. After a moment, she giggled softly. "Your face though. When you thought I was pregnant. Absolutely priceless."

"It's not funny, Gwailin," Legolas said, rolling his eyes. "Your father would probably have ripped out my heart with his bare hand if that had been true."

"He couldn't have killed the father of his unborn grandchild," she murmured, though he could hear the humor in her voice. "It might have actually helped our case."

"Not with my father. I would never hear the end of it."

"Your father wouldn't kill you though," she said, leaning back to look up at him.

"I wouldn't be so sure," he said with a half-smile, bending down to kiss her gently. "Do you think we've seen the worst of it?" he asked seriously.

"He is only getting warmed up," Gwailin said confidently. "Trying to bully us failed, so he will move on to plan B."

"What's plan B?"

"He will have Sadron try and win me back."

"Should I be worried?"

"Of course not," Gwailin said, kissing his cheek reassuringly. "But my father must be desperate to use him."

"Why is that?"

"Many years ago, I tried to marry Sadron. But my father wouldn't let me, because he was too wild and 'a bad influence' as my father put it. In other words, my father could not control him. To have him suggesting I marry him now just goes to show how anxious he is to get me to leave and return home. It seems anyone is better than you."

"Wonderful," Legolas said sarcastically, dreading the next few days. He would have to entertain the king, who clearly hated him, and watch someone else try to seduce his betrothed. It was going to be decidedly unpleasant.


End file.
